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Chapter Text

Friday Early Morning

Mackenzie

I woke up in a pool of sweat and saw the sun barely peeking over the horizon.

"Jeez, what time is it?"

I looked at my alarm clock and saw 5:47, a full 43 minutes before I had to get up.

"Uuugggh, Why do I always wake up before my alarm."

"I guess I'll check my phone."

I had a message from my dad

Dad

Hey Mackenzie, I'm at the hospital and I have some news about your Mum.

The doctors said she's doing better but we still don't have a definitive answer yet.

Ok Dad.

Thanks for letting me know.

My Mum was in the hospital with lung cancer, and had been there since the last week of middle school. My Dad was with her almost 24/7 and I visited her every week, having skipped the last week of middle school, hoping for an update. None of us knew whether she would be ok or not, But now, I had some hope. I put my phone up and laid on my bed and tried to get a quick nap in before I had to get up for the first day of high school in 43 minutes, but my thoughts kept me awake. Thoughts of a certain Blue Heeler that I would get to see on the bus soon.

*(Mackenzie's Thoughts)*

*(That short, fuzzy blue fur. Those gorgeous blue eyes that remind me of the ocean. That adorable laugh and that cute smile. That interesting Aussie accent that was subtle compared to other people but noticeable. Those silly hands that look like she's always wearing surgical gloves. that cute little tuft of fuzz on her forehead. Those two pointy ears that I swear can hear a split second into the future. That amazing and creative personality of hers that allows her to make quick, smart decisions, while at the same time being smart enough to get nothing but straight A's)*

BEEP  BEEP  BEEP  BEEP  BEEP

"Wow. Its already been almost an hour?"

I hop out of bed, grab my phone, use the dunny, shower, clean my teeth, brush my hair, pack my bag, snatch a granola bar out of the pantry, head outside to my bus stop at 6:48AM, and wait for the bus. I'm a little nervous about high school, partially because every one of my middle school teachers described high school as literal Hell on earth, partially because I was nervous to see all my friends again. Rusty, Lucky, Jack, Snickers, and....Bluey.

It had been about a month and a half since I saw any of them during the summer because my dad was constantly at the hospital so he couldn't drive me, I didn't have my license yet, and I didn't have the energy to walk to every gathering they had. So I would just mostly stay home alone and would text/call them to talk or play video games. This would be my first time seeing any of them in person in almost 2 months.

I decide to take my mind off of things and pass the time by studying the school schedule while I munched on my granola bar. I hoped that I had at least some shared classes with my friends, which was not the case in middle school. Out of ALL of my friends AND classes, I only shared ONE class with Lucky in math, but it didn't even matter because our math teacher wouldn't allow us to talk WHATSOEVER unless we raised our hand. I also hoped that math wasn't first thing in the morning because that is when I am unable to hold complicated thought. And that would be a guaranteed lowering of my grade since math already isn't my strong suit. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I saw math was smack in the middle of the day. Perfect, I wont be too tired from waking up, and I wont bee too exhausted from being in school all day.

I hear the engine of the bus roar as it approaches the bus stop. The brakes squeal as it becomes stationary and the very old, crappily made doors barely squeak open enough for me to step on.

Chapter Text

Friday Early Morning

Bluey

BEEP  BEEP  BEEP  BEEP  BEEP

I switch of my 5:30 alarm and hop out of bed. Mum and Dad are still asleep, but bingo is in the bathroom cleaning her teeth.

"Morning Bingo"

"muwin bruiy" Bingo says garbled, her mouth still full of toothpaste

I chuckle at bingo as I go to the other bathroom to use the toilet, clean my teeth, and brush my hair. I go around to do a couple chores. Empty the bin, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and take the towels off the line and fold them. I had decided the night before to make this a daily routine as my parents were stressed out with work, so I wanted to take a couple things off their plates. My mind starts wandering as I do these chores since they're, well, chores, they're boring. I start thinking of a certain Border Collie from my friend group.

*(Bluey's Thoughts)*

*(That thick, fluffy black and white coat. Those hazel eyes that suck you in like a black hole. That deep, manly chuckle he has that reminds me he could easily defend himself if attacked. That silly New Zealand accent that makes him pronounce his I's and a's funny, those two patches on his arms that look like he's always wearing scientist gloves. those two little tufts of hair on the sides of his head that look like a mullet but at the same time not really. that one floppy ear that bounces when he walks. That silly but at the same time serious personality where he would willingly do a backflip out of a tree for 10 bucks and then go and protect someone who is being bullied 10 seconds later.)*

I snap out of my trance as I fold the last piece of laundry and take the basket to the bathroom where I lay the towels on the shelf. I walk towards the kitchen as I hear sizzling and smell the yummy aroma of bacon and eggs. I walk in to see my mum making bacon omelets and my dad with a shocked expression on his face as he realized the dishwasher is running and the bin is empty.

"Morning Mum. Morning Dad."

"Hey Blue."

"Mornin' Bluey. Did you take the bin and start the dishwasher?"

"Yes Dad I did. I also Folded the Towels."

"Huh.... What's up with the sudden....helping? You always huff and puff and whine when we ask you do chores and now all of a sudden you're the most helpful you've been in...ever!

"Haha Dad very funny. I felt like helping out in the morning, since you both seem really tired every day, I though having less things to worry about when you wake up would help."

"Wow"

"Jeez. Well, thanks Bluey"

"Its ok Dad I just wanna help out. also, what time is it?"

"6:54"

"Ah cheese and crackers! I still need to eat and I haven't packed!"

I rush upstairs, pack in less than a minute, grab my phone, run downstairs, eat an entire omelet and down an entire glass of milk in 1 minute, say goodbye to my parents, and run outside to make it to my bus stop. I meet Bingo there as well, (having been out here since 6:30 since she didn't do any chores) and say a proper good morning.

"Morning bingo." I wheeze, out of breath.

"Morning Bluey. When is the bus getting here again?"

"Around 7:00"

Bingo is going on the same bus as me because the middle school and high school are basically the same building, meaning the same bus routes.

"Are you nervous about high school Bluey?"

I hadn't actually though about it. and yeah, I kind of was. I didn't know If high school was like the torture that middle school teachers described it to be. But I was also excited to see my friends at the same time. Chloe, Indy, Coco, Judo, Lucky, and.....Mackenzie.

"Bluey?"

I hadn't realized that I had completely zoned out.

"Oh sorry Bingo I was Just thinking. And yeah, I kind of am nervous, but I'm also happy that I get to see all of my friends."

"Yeah that's true. Ooh look the bus is here"

The bus rolls to a stop in front of us and we both step on.

Chapter Text

Friday Morning

Mackenzie

The smell and sound of the bus makess me wish I had my license more than ever. Paper balls and opened bags of chips fly left and right as curses are spat at me and others. I make my way to one of the only empty seats on the bus and sit down. I put in my headphones and play some music to drown out the rest of the commotion as the bus lurches forward. As always, there will be one specific person on the bus that just feels the need to insult everyone new that they see, as he sits in the seat across from me and throws a paper plane at me to get my attention.

"Aye sheep boy!" This phrase is considered a derogatory term where my family comes from

I decide to not say anything but instead take off my headphones and slowly creak my head towards the kid, who looks like he's still in 7th grade, looking dead into his eyes with a slight agitated look. His expression immediately switches from amused and mischievous to scared, as he quickly gets up and meanders back to his seat. I don't feel like dealing with people today, especially not some middle school kid throwing around slurs.

The bus stops as I realize where we are. I start beaming inside as I wait for someone specific to get on the bus. My eyes light up as I see Bluey for the first time in almost two months. Along with Lucky and Judo.

Lucky spots me.

"Ayy Mack! How you doing? I haven't seen you in a while!"

We do our secret handshake by making it look like one of our hands are passing through each other, followed by a fist bump.

"I'm ok man, about as good as I can be on a middle school AND high school bus."

I hear another voice to my left, a sweet, melancholic voice.

"Hey Kenzie!"

"Hey Bluey!"

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all."

She sits down gets to talking about how fun her summer has been. This somewhat hurts inside, as I had done basically nothing for the past 3 months, wishing I had gotten out some more. I don't care too much though, I just love hearing the sound of her voice.

*(Mackenzie's Thoughts)*

*(I got to tell her how I feel, but what if she doesn't feel the same way, what if it ruins our friendship?)*

Bluey

I am about to step on the bus when Lucky rushes in out of nowhere and shoves his way in front of me onto the bus. I scoff as I board, seeing the sight of the bus made me wonder if I should've taken my car. But I decided this was better since I'll be with bingo, I'll get to see Mackenzie, and I save money on gas. But then my eyes are drawn to Mackenzie, who sticks out like a sore thumb with that color scheme and floppy ear. I hadn't seen him in a long time, and I missed that face. Lucky starts doing their secret handshake as lucky makes small talk.

I walk up and he doesn't notice me.

"Hey Kenzie!"

"Hey Bluey!"

"Mind if I sit with you?"

I sit down and start talking about my summer. How I had a sleepover with almost all my friends, how I went to a pool party at Uncle Stripe's house, and some other things. I ask him a question, but then I notice Mackenzie completely zoned out, with a somewhat sad expression on his face.

"Hey Kenzie, is something wrong?"

"Wha- oh sorry I- What did you say?"

"I asked how has your summer been?"

"Oh. Its been... fine I guess."

"Fine? You barely interacted with anyone from our friend group the whole summer! Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just been kinda... out of it these past few weeks. My Mum is still in the hospital."

"Oh yeah. Why has she been in the hospital for that long? You never told anyone what that is about. Do you want to?"

I see a single tear roll down his cheek as he turns away and quietly states.

"My Mum went to the hospital for chest pains and difficulty breathing, we thought it was a heart attack, but turns out it was much worse."

"What is it? You can tell me."

He looks up at me as his lip starts quivering, I can tell he's holding back tears. I hug him and he hugs back and starts crying into my fur.

"My Mum has lung cancer, and the doctors say she might not make it" He mutters in-between sobs.

My eyes widen as everything clicks, now I understand why he had been so distant all summer, taking forever to respond to texts if he even did in the first place, why he was out of school for the last week, why he had always seemed monotone on any voice calls anyone had with him.

"Oh my god Mackenzie, I'm so sorry. I'm here for you" I pat his back as he keeps crying.

I then realize that openly sobbing on a school bus is bound to attract attention and bullies, as does he, as we break the hug, and he calms down and cleans himself up. Lucky was the only one to notice Mackenzie's moment of weakness, and he unfortunately decided to take action.

"Awwwww... why's Mack crying? Did someone hurt his-"

"Oi! Can it Lucky!" I exclaim

"Ok Jeez, I wasn't even gonna say anything bad! But seriously though, what's wrong Mackenzie?"

"I'll tell you later" Mackenzie states

*(Bluey's Thoughts)*

*(That hug was the best thing ever! Wait no... how can I say that? He was crying his heart out! Uggghhh I wish I could tell him how I feel, but what if he doesn't like me back? Would that mess up our friendship?")*

Mackenzie

I look at Bluey as I struggle to hold tears back, and she seems to notice this. She pulls me into a tight embrace, triggering my emotions to open up like a floodgate as I start sobbing into her shoulder. I tell her what happened to my Mum, and she gives me words of comfort while patting my back.

"Oh my god Mackenzie, I'm so sorry. I'm here for you"

I'm here for you

I'm here for you

I'm here for you

her words keep swirling in my mind and start to calm me down, we break the hug as I realize crying on a Middle/High school bus probably wasn't a good idea

Lucky notices, and is halfway through some snobby remark, when bluey shuts him up. I was so thankful for that. I did NOT feel like dealing with Lucky's insults right now.

"Ok Jeez, I wasn't even gonna say anything bad! But seriously though, what's wrong Mackenzie?"

My mind floods with thoughts of my mother, and I decide not to tell him right now, as I would just start crying again.

"I'll tell you later"

About 10 seconds later, we pull up to the school, I stay seated as does Bluey, as everyone else floods out the bus.

"Yeah good idea Kenzie, getting off last means we wont get smooshed by people trying to get past us.

We both get off the bus and stare at the entrance.

*(Am I ready for this?)*

Bluey

I step off the bus and stare at the entrance.

*(Am I ready for this?)*

Bluey And Mackenzie

We both look at each other, as if we know what the other one is thinking.

"We'll see"

Chapter Text

Friday

Bluey

Mackenzie and I walk into the school and get hit with that signature 'New schoolyear' smell.

"What classes do you have Kenzie?"

"Lemme look. My 1st is Homeroom, 2nd is History, 3rd is Math, then Lunch, 4th is PhysEd, 5th is Literature, and lastly, 6th is science."

"OMYGOD! Mackenzie we both have all the same classes!"

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Isn't it?!"

"Yeah... in middle school last year I had only ONE class with Lucky in Math. That did not go well.."

"Yeah. Anyway lets get going!"

We make our way to homeroom, which is just the math class. we sit down next to each other and our Teacher, Mr. Pyrenees, takes attendance. After me and Bluey both say 'here' we start talking about school .

"Doesn't seem like any of our other friends are in this class." I say while scanning the room.

"Yeah. But hey, at least we have each other, right?"

I smile at Mackenzie and he smiles back. I place my hand on his.

"if you ever want to talk about something, I'm right here." I say, hypocritically

"Thanks Bluey" Mackenzie smiles at me.

"Alright class, settle down.... Settle down!...QUIET!" The teacher yells.

The entire class goes quiet

"Ahem. Today Isn't going to be learning as much as it is just getting used to your classes, since today is Friday."

The entire class cheers.

"Heh... Alright settle down now!"

The students comply, not wanting bleeding eardrums again.

"Most of you came from the middle school next door, but we have one new student in the school who moved here from the United States and is starting high school completely fresh at this school, so I expect some of you to help him and guide him through the day. I'm also fairly sure you can figure out who he is." The entire class looks behind us. I turn to see a Gold, Gray, And black Timber Wolf sitting there with an embarrassed expression on his face.

The New Kid

The entire class looks at me and I just wanna crawl under my desk and die right now. Thankfully, the teacher pipes up and everyone turns back to the front of the class.

"Today we're going to be handing out all the handbooks and literature you need to start learning on Monday.

Mackenzie

I felt kind of bad for the new kid and decided to help him out when class ends. The period goes by surprisingly quickly and the bell rings, signaling for everyone to flood out of the class except for Me, Bluey, And the new kid.

"Hey mate, good on ya for knowing to wait till class is empty to leave."

"Oh yeah. Thanks. You know, this also works for lots of other things, like buses, airplanes, boats especially, basically anything where a bunch of people are trying to leave all at once."

"Yeah true. Hey you want me to help you find your classes?"

"I would like that. Thank you. I have no clue what I am doing."

"Yeah. Hey what's your name?"

"Smoky."

B/M:  "Nice to meet you Smoky"

"Nice to meet both of you too."

Bluey

"Hey, the teacher said you're from the US. What's it like there?" I chimed in.

"Oh, I don't even know where to start. There's WAY more fast food places, and WAY less spiders."

Mackenzie and I both chuckle

"Yeah, 'Straya is pretty famous for having no shortage of insects."

"Anyways, lets get going, the class is empty. What's your next class Smoky?"

"Hold up lemme check. It's Science."

"Oh. Well we have History. So we’ll take you to science then we'll see you at lunch?"

"Sounds good."

As we make our way to the science classroom, Smoky chimes in.

"Also another thing, My dad could just drive down the road to a tackle shop and buy a gun license."

"Jeez really? I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, But the views here are amazing compared to back home. Just the lookout down the road from where I'm staying looks beautiful compared to the parking lot I have to look at back home"

"Really? That's sad."

"Yeah it is now that I've spent a week here."

Smoky

"Oh, by the way, are you two a couple?"

Bluey and Mackenzie both look at each other and then exclaim

B/M: "No we're not!"

"Really? That's sad. You two would be perfect together."

B/M: "Why!?"

"That! Right there! You two keep saying the same thing at the same time in the sane tone of voice! It's like you two can read each other's minds. And it's pretty obvious you two like each other."

B/M: "No we don't!"

"Oooookay. Whatever you say. Anyways I guess this is my class so see ya! Thanks for the help and see you at lunch!"

Mackenzie

I think about what Smoky said. Is it really that obvious? I mean it's true, I like Bluey, but has it really been just out there for this long? I zone out again, thinking.

The first half of the school day flies by as I sit down for lunch. Bluey sits next to me. Then our two friend groups spot us. Bluey's friend group don't pay much attention to me or Bluey, as they see each other every day.

Rusty: "Hey Mack! I haven't seen you for ages! What's been going on with you?

Jack: "Yeah mate you've been so... distant all summer, what's going on?"

Lucky:  "I don't know but he looked like he was crying on the bus. Also what's up with that? You said you would tell me later."

Bluey: "You don't have to tell them, if you don't want to."

Mackenzie: "No I will. They deserve an explanation."

I start explaining the situation with my Mum and almost start crying again.

R: "Jeez man! I'm real sorry."

L: "Were here for you mate. Don't worry"

J: "I'm sure you Mum will be fine"

M: "Yeah but what if she isn't"

I put my head in my hands and collect every ounce of energy in my body to not start sobbing.

"Its gonna be ok Kenzie. I promise" Bluey says as she grabs my hand and holds it tight.

"Thanks guys. I needed this."

Smoky: "Ahh, here's the cafeteria. Oh hey Mackenzie. Hey Bluey"

B/M: "Hey"

S: "See? It's like you two have some subconscious connection or something"

This comment from smoky makes me think. Hard. I realize I should tell Bluey before it's too late. I decided I was going to ask Bluey to come to the creek with me after school and tell her there.

Bluey

*(I think Smoky is right. We do kind of have a deeper connection with each other compared to others. And I could totally see my self In a relationship with him. Living our lives together. Maybe even having kids- Ok I need to stop)*

The rest of the school day breezes by. Since there wasn't much learning. But as I'm about to get off the bus back home, Mackenzie stops me.

"Hey Bluey, do you wanna go to the creek in a little bit?"

My heart starts pumping rapidly as I contemplate whether I should or not. My Dad made me promise to never go with any boys alone anywhere no matter what. But I knew Mackenzie wouldn't do anything.

"Sure Mackenzie! When?"

"In like 30 minutes to an hour. I'll message you."

"Ok! Bye Kenzie!"

"Seeya Bluey!"

Chapter Text

Friday Afternoon

Bluey

I say hi to my parents and go upstairs, where I eagerly wait for Mackenzie's message. Bingo comes into my room, crying.

"Oh no Bingo what's wrong?"

I barely hear bingo through her breathing.

"A~A kid called m-me a really m-mean word. And the-then all h-his friend called me it t-too"

"Oh Bingo! Its ok, I'm here"

I hug bingo. She Is only 14 and she's always had a very sensitive personality so I can see why this would hurt her.

"Can you tell me what word he said?"

"Th-The B-word."

"Aww Bingo it's ok. Don't worry. Next time someone does something like that, you tell the teacher, ok? And tell me or Mum and Dad."

*Sniff* "Ok Bluey. Thank you. I'm gonna go downstairs now."

"You go do that bingo."

*(UGGHHH I swear if I find the kid that did this!")*

Ding!

I check my phone and see that Mackenzie messaged me.

Kenzie

Hey Bluey. I'm outside. Lets go!

Ok Kenzie I'll be right there!

I head outsize and see Mackenzie, his fur very freshly brushed.

*(Oh my god he looks adorable!)*

"Hey Bluey."

"Hey Kenzie. Lets go!"

"Do you wanna take your car?"

"Nah. I'd rather walk. I wanna save on gas and plus it's good exercise."

"Yeah you're right, never mind."

We walk to the park, head into the bushes and start walking up the creek.

*(This hangout is very sudden. I doubt this is just to catch up. I hope it isn't just to catch up.)*

I had traversed the creek dozens of times to relive the memory of my first time at the creek with Mackenzie when I was 6.

"Wow you've gotten much better at traversing the creek Bluey!"

"Yeah I like to come here a lot. Sometimes I come here to think or study."

"Wow I never thought of doing that, good idea!"

We both arrive at the waterfall and sit down nearby, taking in the sights. We start catching up about the summer and what we did during the summer. Mackenzie having not done much and me having gone to multiple sleepovers and a pool party.

"Hey Bluey?"

"Yeah Kenzie?"

"There's something that has been on my mind for a while."

"What?"

Mackenzie

*(This is it! I'm going to tell her!)*

"You know, I've been thinking..."

"About what?"

"About what Smoky said"

"What about him? What did he say?"

I look at her as her face changes from confusion to realization.

"Oh."

We both look at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Then suddenly, something snaps, like the back of my head tingles.

Bluey

I'm literally melting inside as I finally have confirmation.

*(He's saying he likes me, right? Surely)*

But then something snaps in my head, like my brain feels fuzzy.

Mackenzie

We both look into each other's eyes intently. Then we both lean in at the same time. Like we both knew. Like we could read each other's thoughts.

it only lasts about 5 seconds. But it feels like hours. I finally gathered the courage to tell her, and it paid off! We break the kiss and I see her face is as red as a tomato. My face feels red hot.

"Bluey, I've admired you for years, I've liked you for years, but I've never had the courage to ask."

"Ya know Kenzie, I have felt the exact same way for ages. I'm glad you told me, even if I couldn't.

We both smile and she rests her head on my shoulder.

*(Yes! I now have the girl of my dreams! This is the best day of my life!)*

"Bluey, Thank you for every time you comforted me when times were tough."

"Kenzie, Thank you for every time you helped me with a scraped knee and every time you protected me from a bully."

We both look at each other and enjoy one more short kiss.

But then I hear footsteps nearby.

Bandit

"Hey Bin-"

I see Bingo dash upstairs immediately after coming home from school.

I walk upstairs and see Bluey comforting her sister, who was crying. I smile. I overhear Bingo talking about bullies and decide to go back downstairs and wait for bingo to talk to me herself when she's ready.

after about 45 minutes, I see Bingo walk downstairs.

"Hey Bingo, how was school?"

"Not very good, some bullies were calling me mean names, but Bluey told me to tell the teacher so I'm going to do that tomorrow.

"Good on your sister then. also, where is Bluey?"

"I think she went to the creek with Mackenzie"

Oh No

*(What? She knows she should never be alone with a boy! I swear if that Collie did ANYTHING to my daughter!)*

"Dad where are you going?"

"To get your sister"

I rush outside and hop in the car, turn the key, and drive to the playground.

I jump out of the car and rush into the bush. I get to the waterfall where I see Bluey.

And Mackenzie.

Chapter Text

Bandit

"BLUEY CHRISTINE HEELER!"

"AHH! Dad what are you doing here!"

"I'm taking you home! What did I tell you about this?! No being alone with ANY boys for ANY reason! And I also told you no dating until you're 18!"

"Dad stop yelling!"

"And you!"

"No Dad! Leave Mackenzie alone! He didn't do anything!"

"Then what did I just see?! He was kissing you!"

"No dad! WE were kissing."

"I don't care! I'm taking you home!"

I grab Bluey by the arm.

"YOU!"

I point at Mackenzie

"DONT YOU EVER COME NEAR MY DAUGHTER AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME?"

"Y-Yes sir"

"No Mackenzie! Dad let go!"

I drag bluey to the car all the while she is pleading me to stop. She starts crying when I put her in the passenger seat. We start driving

"You're grounded Bluey. You're staying home for a month. Give me your keys."

She grabs her keys and throws them at me.

We get home and she immediately runs upstairs to her room.

I follow her upstairs to find her in her bedroom with her door locked.

"Bluey! Open up we're not done talking!"

"GO AWAY DAD! I HATE YOU!"

Her words hit me like a battering ram and I snap out of my anger.

I go downstairs to find Chilli in the kitchen.

"What. Was. That."

"I found Bluey kissing a boy at the creek."

"Ok? so then why was she crying going up the stairs and why did she yell 'I hate you' at the top of her lungs?"

"Chilli, we already talked about this, she's not to date until she turns 18."

"We never talked about anything! you just said that to her one day! And then you expected her to just be ok with it?! I'm not even ok with it! She should be allowed to be with whoever she wants to whenever she wants!".

"Well I'm sorry but I don't quite agree with you."

"Fine. But when you find yourself living your last days in a retirement home, don't say I didn't tell you so"

"Look, its the done thing, I'm just worried someone might take advantage of her."

"Who was the boy she was with?"

"Sh-She was with Mackenzie."

"Mackenzie is one of Bluey's Best friends. They've known each other since they were Five! I've been expecting them to get together for years now! What makes you think Mackenzie, of ALL people, would do anything to her!"

"I-"

"This. Is not. the done. Thing and you know that."

Chilli left the room and I was just left standing there. Alone. Just like what I had done to my daughter.

Mackenzie

I walk home crying. I wished Bluey told me her dad wasn't ok with us being together. But I also blamed myself. If I had just left it as a friendly hangout, we would've been fine. I get home and curl up into a ball on my bed. I felt too tired to eat and I just cried until my dad came home.

"Mackenzie, we have to go to the hospital."

"What? Why? Is something wrong with Mum?"

"Just come on. Into the car mate."

We drove to the hospital and got visitor passes. We went into my Mum's room and found her laying, unconscious.

I started to tear up as I saw the heart monitor beating slower than ever before. My mother was dying.

The doctor starts explaining.

"I'm so sorry. She was doing fine during a routine checkup when she flatlined. We managed to bring her back, but not before her brain had lost circulation and she suffered severe brain damage. She is still alive, but it is very unlikely that she will ever wake up. I'm sorry."

At this point I was sobbing into my dad's fur. I'm pretty sure he was crying too. I walked up to my Mum and held her hand as I cried. My vision went blurry and all noises were muffled. The world around me faded as I just cried and cried. An hour had gone by when the doctor told my dad what the next course of action was.

"You have a couple options. We could keep her on Life Support, and there Is a small chance she might wake up, but the chance is almost zero. And if she does wake up, she will have almost no control over her own body, as she has sustained large amounts of nerve damage."

"Or?" My Dad Managed to squeak out

"Or.... We cut her off. She is a registered organ donor, so we could salvage her healthy organs to use to possibly save other lives. And she wont be in any pain anymore."

"Mackenzie."

"y-yes Dad?"

"What do you want?"

at this point I had just been standing there with a blank expression.

"I- I don't w-want her to be in pain an-anymore."

"Ok, Mackenzie. Do you want to stay with her or do you want to go home?"

"I-I want to go home."

"Ok Mackenzie. Lets go."

We get home when the sun has almost set and I just go to my room and cry.

I calm down after a while and see I have a message from Bluey.

Bluey

I calm down somewhat after an hour has passed. I get on my phone and message Mackenzie. I don't care what my Dad says.

Kenzie

Hey Kenzie.

You ok?

Not really

I had to go to the hospital.

Oh No, what happened?

My Mum is dead

I immediately jump out of bed and quietly go downstairs to see my dad sleeping on the couch. I quietly sneak out the front door and run as fast as I can to Mackenzie's house. I knock on the door and am greeted my Mackenzie's father.

"Oh hey Bluey. What are you doing here this late." I see his Dad has tear filled eyes.

"Is Mackenzie here?"

"Yes, he's in his room."

I dash over to his room and slowly open the door.

"Mackenzie?"

"B-Bluey? Wha-"

I tackle him onto his bed and hug him. He starts sobbing and mumbling incoherently.

"Sh-She's gone!" He buries his face into my neck as I hold him tight.

I start tearing up. Seeing the person I love in this state was was tearing me apart.

*(Wait, do I love him?... Yeah. I guess I do)*

"Th-Thank you Bluey. So much"

"Anytime Kenzie."

Mackenzie calmed down after around 30 minutes and he finally started talking again.

"What about your Dad?"

"I don't care what he says. I just wanna be with you. I love you"

Mackenzie looks at me with bloodshot eyes, smiles, and says:

"I love you too Bluey."

Chapter Text

Friday Night

Mackenzie

I wake up at around 10PM and look down to see Bluey sleeping on my chest, then all the memories of the day prior started flooding in, and I struggle to hold back tears. Bluey somehow wakes up, looks up at me, and hugs me. Almost as if she knew I had gotten upset. I just hug her back. I hear a knock on the door and my Dad opens the door a crack. He starts talking.

"Hey mate, sorry to disturb you two, but someone's here for you, Bluey."

I blush from embarrassment at my Dad's statement as Bluey shoots up, grabs her phone, and then groans.

"My Dad messaged me like 30 times."

I shoot up as well, now genuinely fearing for my life. Bluey notices my fear and holds my cheek

"It's ok Kenzie, maybe I can talk some sense into him."

She gives me a quick peck on the nose before getting up and leaving the room. The voice I hear next confirms my suspicions. Bluey's Dad is here.

Bandit

I wake up off the couch, since my wife kicked me out of the room for tonight. I get up and decide to go check on Bluey. I knock on her door.

"Bluey? You wanna talk?"

Silence.

I open the door a crack only to find an empty bed.

*(She's not in her bed, and she's not in the bathroom, where is she?"

I searched the entire house and couldn't find her. I had to make the grave assumption that she snuck out.

I grabbed my keys, walked out to the front porch and realized her car was still here. That narrows it down to this neighborhood.

I think of all the friend's places she could be at.

*(There's Lucky's, Judo's, and... Mackenzie's)*

I hop in the car and drive to Mackenzie's house, furious the whole time. I get out and ring the doorbell. Richard steps out, looking like he had been sobbing for hours.

"Woah man, what's up with you! you eyes are so bloodshot!"

I realize the tear streaks on his fur. He had been crying.

"Hey man, are you ok?"

"Not really." He says

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes Please. Come in"

Richard sits me down and explains everything. He's sobbing by the end of it all. I realized the horrible mistake I made. He asks for a hug and I oblige. 10 minutes later I ask to speak to Bluey.

"Ah. Ok I'll go get her for you. She's in Mackenzie's room."

I get angry with this information but I back down. I want to have a peaceful conversation with Bluey.

I hear Richard ask Bluey to come out, and after about a minute of rustling in the room, Bluey walks out, her fur all matted and soaked in tears. My 'Dad instinct' kicks in and I start getting mad, asking if he did something to her.

"No Dad, leave him alone, he didn't do anything. Why are you here"

"Bluey, I wanted to apologize. I didn't realize the circumstances Mackenzie was in, I was just doing that to protect you. I know how boys can get."

"Well you don't know Kenzie. He's kind, caring, sweet, and strong, willing to help someone he doesn't know. We love each other and there is nothing he wouldn't do for me and there is nothing that I wouldn't do for him. And right now He needs my help. And you just tore that help away from him. You tore ME me away from him. What makes you think Mackenzie would do anything to me?"

"Well, I've never told you this before, but when your Mum and I first started dating, she told me about her ex, and her ex was a straight up psycho. He had tried to kidnap and...force himself onto your Mum on multiple occasions after she dumped him. He would stalk her constantly and send her threats through her mailbox. It was insane. Your Mum STILL has nightmares about it occasionally. So when I thought about you dating, I was worried something like that would happen to you. But that still doesn't excuse the way I acted and I am truly sorry."

"It's ok Dad. I forgive you. I didn't know"

"And neither did I."

Bluey walked up and hugged me.

"But still no sex till you're both 18"

"EEEW Dad! Why would you say that!"

She jumped off of me. Richard chimed in

"That's still a good rule though."

"I'm gonna go back to Mackenzie now."

"Wait Bluey, before you go, here are your keys back."

"Thank you dad. Bye." she walks into Mackenzie's room and shuts the door

"Thanks for having me Mate." I said to Richard.

"No problem. Thanks for listening and thanks for not ruining the most adorable relationship I've seen. Seriously though, they were cuddling when you came."

"O...K. I'm gonna go now."

Mackenzie

I listen to the conversation Bluey is having with Her Dad. I blush at the things Bluey says about me.

*(I could say the same for you Blues)*

I hear the remark her Dad makes at the end and I blush again. Bluey walks back into the room, shuts the door, sees me sitting up on my bed, crawls onto my bed and lays her head in my lap.

"So I assume I'm not about to be stuffed in a sack and thrown into a river?"

"Jesus Mackenzie, my Dad would never do anything like that."

"I don't know, he seemed pretty upset at the creek."

"I guess but still."

"Ok, Blues."

"Blues? I like that." she smirked.

"And I like Kenzie."

"Well then its settled. I'm Blues and you're Kenzie."

"Great! you know, I'm kind of sleepy. it's almost midnight. I'm gonna go to bed for the night."

"Ok then. Well I'm joining you."

I lay down and she crawls up next to me. I give her a quick kiss and turn off the light.

"Night, Kenzie. Love you"

"G'night Blues. Love you too."

Chapter Text

Bandit

I walk through the front door and see Chilli drinking tea in the kitchen.

"Hey Chilli."

"Where have you been? And where is Bluey?"

"Bluey is staying over at Mackenzie's house tonight."

"Really? What happened?"

"I went over to Mackenzie's house, where Bluey was hiding. Turns out Mackenzie's Mum passed away recently and Bluey was spending time with him to help him through it."

"Oh! That's horrible! Are they ok?"

"I think so, but Richard seems... out of it if you know what I mean."

"So Bluey was just comforting Mackenzie?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know this at the creek. And I felt horrible, so I went over there and apologized. Remember your old ex from decades ago? Well, when the thought of our daughter dating crossed my mind, I remembered everything that happened to you. I was so worried something like that would happen to Bluey. That's why I set those rules. I was trying to protect her. But it seems like Mackenzie is the perfect boy for her. He wouldn't do anything. So I changed the rules."

"What are the new rules?"

"Sorry, Rule. No Intimacy until her and his 18th."

"That's way better. I'm glad you made up with her."

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad she doesn't hate me anymore."

"Oh, No she is probably still VERY upset."

"Ah jeez, you think so?"

"Yeah. Probably. But I still wouldn't say hate."

"That's a relief.... So can I sleep in the bedroom?"

"Yes silly!" Chilli laughed.

"Uss!"

Bluey

Saturday Morning

I wake up to a snoring Sheepdog cuddling me. I check my phone and see it's 11:36 in the morning.

"Aah Biscuits."

"What's wrong Blues?" I had woken Mackenzie.

"Its almost noon."

"So?"

"What do you mean so? I always wake up no later than 9 on weekends!"

"Well, I guess that's one difference we have."

I scoff at Mackenzie's Remark as I see a message from Bingo.

Bingo

Hey Bluey, could you come back home?

I want someone to play with.

Ok Bingo, I'll be there soon.

"I gotta go."

"What? Why?"

"Bingo is bored and wants someone to play with."

"Oh, ok. Seeya later Blues."

"See ya Kenzie."

I say goodbye To Mackenzie's Dad, walk back home, open the front door, and see Bingo is Building a huge Skyscraper with Legos.

"Hey Bluey! what happened last night?"

"Well, Dad got upset at something I did and I got upset at something Dad did."

"Oh, Ok. Wanna help me build this tower?"

"Sure Bingo! but I got to go clean up first. I didn't last night.'

"Ok."

I go upstairs and turn the shower on, grab a towel, and wash up. I turn the water off, Shake to get most of the water off, and then use the towel for the last bit of water. I brush my fur, and clean my teeth, then I go downstairs and see my Dad sleepily playing with Bingo

"Hey Dad."

"Oh hey Bluey. how are you."

"I'm ok. I was going to play with Bingo, but it seems you got that covered.

"Wait no don't go! Please play with her!"

"Ok fine, since you insist."

Bingo and I manage to construct an impressive Lego city, with the original tower being the center. This takes us about 2 hours. Bingo has to go to gymnastics in a few minutes. So I'll be free in a little bit. I go to the kitchen to get a small meal, as I'm not very hungry. I eat a small piece of toast with tuna. I message Mackenzie while I eat and ask if he wanted to hang out again. He agreed and we settled on me coming over in the evening to watch a movie.

Mackenzie

I hear a knock at the front door. I open the door to see Bluey, having brought some snacks.

"Hey Blues."

"Hey Kenzie."

I realize her car isn't in the driveway.

"Did you walk all the way here again?"

"Yeah, I want to start getting more active."

"Ok then."

I help her with the snacks and we settle on the couch. We start watching a movie about robots taking over the planet.

B/M: "Lemme guess, the key to destroying the robot army is at the beginning of the movie."

We both say this at the exact same time. We look at each other and start laughing.

I hear rain start pelting the window, and then we hear a crack of thunder. Bluey immediately dives into my chest. Guess she still hasn't gotten over her fear of thunder. She starts whimpering and yipping with every strike of lightning.

"Bluey, its ok, I'm here, I will protect you."

She starts crying in my arms, and now its my turn to be the cry-pillow for once. I start rubbing her back to comfort her, and it seems to work, she calms down somewhat.

Then a bolt of lightning strikes, sounding like It was a block away. The whole house shakes.

"AH!" She yells.

She squeezes my chest so hard I feel like I'm gonna pop, and starts shaking and sobbing in my arms.

"Shhhh.... it's ok Bluey, I will never let anyone or anything hurt you ever."

I kiss the top of her muzzle and rub her head. She doesn't stop crying and ends up crying herself to sleep 30 minutes later.

its around 8:30 pm when the rain is still going strong, and I lower myself and Bluey to a laying flat position.

I fall asleep shortly after, but not before realizing, I had the perfect girl in my arms.

Chapter Text

Monday Morning

Bluey

When Mackenzie and I walked into school on Monday morning, holding hands, we didn't know we had made a horrible mistake. Mackenzie's friends were ecstatic for him, but MY friends could not have been less so.

Chloe: "Oh, so THAT's why you didn't talk to us all weekend."

Indy: "You were too busy having 'fun time' with your boyfriend!"

Coco: "So, are you going to find out the gender?"

Bluey: "Jesus guys! We didn't do anything like that! And I'm sorry, but Mackenzie needed me!"

Judo: "What did he need you for? A toy in bed?"

They throw a few more derogatory phrases.

B: "No! My god! He had a traumatic experience and needed support!"

I look over at Mackenzie and am about to ask him to tell him, when he nods and explains what happened to him and his Mother. As if he knew what I was going to say before I actually said it.

Chloe, Indy, and Judo seem to understand and apologize. But not Coco.

Ch: "Oh my god! I'm so sorry Mackenzie!"

In: "Yeah we didn't know!"

Ju: "We were just upset that you hadn't talked to us all weekend! Were sorry."

Ch: "We wouldn't have said those things if we knew!"

In: "Yeah, we know Mackenzie isn't like that!"

Ju: "Can you forgive us? Were deeply sorry!"

Coco: "I'm not."

We all look at Coco, stunned.

Co: "He's just using you Bluey! It's how boys are! They only ever want what's downstairs."

Bl: "Coco! How dare you say that about Mackenzie! He's the sweetest, most gentle person I know and he would never do anything like that!"

Co: "Oooookaaaaay, Bluey. Whatever you want to believe."

I grab Mackenzie and storm off, listening as the rest of my friends berate Coco, while she tries to defend herself.

"I'm so sorry about that, Kenzie. I don't know what is up with Coco. I always knew she was on the meaner side, but I didn't think she would go THAT far."

"Its ok Blues. And I just want to let you know, I would never do anything like that to you. Not even if I had a knife to my throat."

"Aw, thanks Kenzie.

I look up and give him a quick smooch on his cheek. He smiles and gives me one back. We get to class and go about the school day.

Monday Lunchtime

Mackenzie

As Bluey and I settle down and start eating, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker.

Loudspeaker: "Could Mackenzie Border-Collie please come to the office?"

The entire mess hall roars with 'oohs' and laughter.

"I'll be right back Bluey. I think."

I get up and walk to the office, where the vice principal is waiting, along with a police officer. I feel a shiver crawl down my spine.

"Hello Mackenzie, we have gotten an anonymous tip that you are currently carrying illegal substances in your bag. So we will be conducting a search on your backpack."

*(What? Who would say such a thing!)* I hand over my backpack, since I know I don't have anything. I had just gone through it myself in search of my lunchbox. The officer rummages through my bag, and pulls out my anxiety medication.

*(Oh No)*

The officer takes an extra second to read the label.

"Celexa Prescription."

"That's for my separation anxiety."

"Well teach, there's nothing in here. He's good."

"Ok then. Sorry for wasting your time Mackenzie. We'll try to figure out who sent the tip in to reprimand them. False accusation on this level is punishable with a month's suspension."

"Ok, Thank you."

The Officer hands me back my bag and I go back to lunch. Bluey starts speaking.

'What happened? The principal sounded angry and Indy said she saw a Cop walk in there earlier!"

"Someone sent an anonymous tip claiming I had drugs. They searched my bag and obviously found nothing."

"Oh my god that's terrible! Do they know who did it?"

"No, but they said they will try to find out and punish them."

"Well, that's good. Let's get back to our gross school burgers."

The Accuser

*(Dammit! It didn't work. But I though I saw him taking something earlier? Oh well, I need to find something else on him. Ooh! Maybe I can forge messages of him flirting with me and then show Bluey! It's believable, I'm a girl after all. And I like to think I'm pretty. But if it doesn't work, then Bluey will know I'm trying to break her and Mackenzie up! I gotta plan this some more. I'm going to go home and think of something to do tomorrow. And how.")*

Bluey

After Lunch

*(Why would someone lie about Kenzie like that? Everyone knows he would never do anything like that! Well, except Coco I guess. Wait....)*

"Hey Blues, you ok?"

'Oh, yeah I'm ok. Why'd you ask?"

"Cause you looked sad. Like you zoned out."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I was just wondering who would lie about you like that."

"It's ok. Lets get to class."

The 2 and a half hours remaining of school tick by excruciatingly slow. The last bell finally rings and Mackenzie and I wait for everyone to flood out the school, before walking out ourselves. We both get into my car, as we have decided to take my car to and from school. No school bus thank you!

"Hey Blues, can I play a song?"

"Sure Kenzie."

he connects his phone to the car and plays 'Notion' By The Rare Occasions. His favorite song. I really like this song too, so we both sing along to it as we start driving. When the song ends, he plays another song. 'Pinball Lez' By Custard. My favorite song and The band my Dad was in.

Mackenzie

I see Bluey's ears perk up as she smiles. We arrive at my house as the song ends.

"See ya Blues."

"Later Kenzie."

We share a short kiss before I climb out and wave as Bluey drives off. I walk inside my house, only to see my dad, passed out on the couch. Next to him on the floor laid multiple empty beer bottles. He would drink sometimes at parties and gatherings, but never too much and he would always stop when he felt the drinks started to dull his senses. This was new. I walk up to him and check to make sure he is still alive. He wakes up, looks over at me and starts crying. I walk around the couch and hug him.

"I'm so sorry Mackenzie. I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

"Its ok Dad. It's not a big deal."

He cries for a while and calms down. I offer to make dinner.

"I'll go make some sausages. you get some rest."

"Thank you Mackenzie. I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal Dad. You just needed a way to cope. I already found one but you haven't."

"If you want, you could try to find a partner. That's what I did. I wont judge you Dad."

"I thought about that already. But I feel like it's too soon. Its only been a few days and I don't want you to think I didn't care about your mother."

"Dad, I would never think that, it's perfectly healthy to want to find another mate after losing one."

"Ok, I'll try. Thank you son."

"Anytime Dad."

I hug my Dad and leave to make dinner. We eat and he goes to bed very soon after. I receive a message from Bluey. She's asking me to come over. I ask if that is a good idea after what happened with her dad. She reassures me, saying it will be fine. I agree to come over. I grab my essentials for leaving the house, and walk over to hers. I knock on the door and am greeted by Bandit.

Chapter Text

Monday Evening

Bandit

I hear a knock at the door and open it to see Mackenzie. Bluey had told me he was going to sleep over. I was skeptical because even though Bluey told me all these great things about him, I needed to see them firsthand before I could trust him completely.

"H-Hello Mr. Heeler."

"Hey Mackenzie. I just wanted to say real quick that I'm so sorry about the way I acted at the creek on Friday. I didn't know about the circumstance you were in. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's all good, Mr. Heeler. I can understand why you would be protective of Bluey, But I promise I would never do anything to her that she doesn't want."

"Well, you better, 'cause I'm still gonna be watching you tonight. No funny business."

"Yes sir. I promise."

I hear Bluey walk up behind me.

"Dad! Quit interrogating Mackenzie! He's fine"

Bluey pulls Mackenzie inside and starts walking away they start talking and walk upstairs.

*(I should probably chill out before she decides to run away again)*

Mackenzie

As Bluey pulls me away and we start walking, I think to myself.

*(Jeez, I hope he doesn't smother me with a pillow in my sleep.)*

"I already told you Mackenzie, my Dad isn't going to kill you. You have nothing to worry about."

"What? But I didn't say anything." I knew I didn't say anything, and I didn't accidentally say my thoughts out loud.

"What do you mean? I thought I heard you saying my Dad was gonna smother you?"

"No, I never said that."

"Huh. Weird. Anyways, what do you want to do?"

"You said a while ago that you had Minecraft, Right?"

"Right."

"Do you have two controllers?"

"Yeah I do."

"Great! Let's play splitscreen!"

"Ooh, Ok!"

We get the game set up, and start playing. She's way better than me at Minecraft, so she has full Diamond gear, while I still only have a Pickaxe and Sword. She knows this, and decides to start taunting me.

"Hey, do you have any spare Diamonds? I wanna make a Jukebox."

"Uh oh! Looks like the poor boy is begging again!"

She laughs and I chuckle, somewhat hurt by the comments, but I don't tell her. She goes out at night and manages to get a music disk by making a skeleton kill a creeper.

"Alright, I got the music for your WELL EARNED Jukebox" She says 'well earned' In an exaggerated tone of voice.

"Could you please stop, Bluey? I get It, I don't have much, but could you maybe not rub salt in the wound?"

Bluey looks at me with a shocked expression and starts profusely apologizing.

"Oh Mackenzie! I'm so sorry! I thought you found it funny!"

"Its ok, Bluey. Its not a big deal. You didn't know. You don't have to beat yourself up over it."

"I know, but still, I'm sorry."

She puts down her controller and hugs me.

"Could you ever forgive me?"

"Bluey, there is nothing to forgive! it's not a big deal!"

"Ok, Mackenzie."

I hug her back and kiss her cheek. She reciprocates.

"Do you thing we should leave this world here for now? It's getting late."

"Yeah I agree. Lets go downstairs and do something."

"You sure? You seem to think my dad would break your kneecaps at a moment's notice."

"I hope he doesn't, but I want to do something else. I'm getting kind of bored."

"Ok then, lets go watch that movie we never got to finish. And also, thank you for comforting me on that night. I was so scared."

"It's ok Blues, I understand you have a fear of thunder. I also have a fear of being... left alone."

"Wow. I didn't think that you of all people would be afraid of being lonely."

"Well, you learn something new every day. Now come on, let's go downstairs."

We go downstairs and see Bandit, Laying on the couch with Chilli, already watching a movie.

"Oh. I didn't know your parents were already watching."

"It's fine, let's just watch with them."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! It would be a chance to get to know them better!"

"Well, ok then."

We walk over to the couch, where Bluey greets her parents.

"Hey Mum. Hey Dad."

B/C: "Hey Bluey."

"What are you two watching?"

"Some movie about a guy being upset that a gang stole his car and killed his cat. we just started it."

"Oh ok, can Kenzie and I watch with you?"

"Sure Bluey. Y'all can sit on the other couch."

We both sit down and Bluey's Mum fills her in on what has happened so far.

"Yeah, they insulted him at a petrol station, then tracked him down, stole his car and beat his cat to death. and they also beat him up."

"Wow, that's pretty violent."

"Yeah, and my coworker who told me about this movie said that this is just the beginning!"

"Wow, well I wanna see what happens next."

Right before we start watching, I see Bandit give me a very serious face. This scares me as I just turn to watch the movie.

Bluey

I throw another poor joke at Mackenzie. But for some reason, I feel sad after doing it again.

*(What if I'm hurting his feelings? What if he doesn't realize it's a joke?)*

My suspicions are confirmed when Mackenzie pipes up.

"Could you please stop, Bluey? I get It, I don't have much, but could you maybe not rub salt in the wound?"

I realize my mistake, and I start profusely apologizing. He assures me that it's not a big deal, but I feel like it is. I have upset the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. This fills me with regret as I hug him and continue apologizing. He again reassures me that I have nothing to apologize for. He hugs me back and gives me a kiss on my cheek. I give him one back. I suggest doing something else, and he offers to go downstairs. I ask if he's worried about my dad, and he is, but he wants to do something else.

"Ok then, lets go watch that movie we never got to finish. And also, thank you for comforting me on that night. I was so scared."

"It's ok Blues, I understand you have a fear of thunder. I also have a fear of being... left alone."

For some reason, I feel very sad after he says this, and I don't know why. I understand that is a very normal fear to have, but I wonder if this had something to do with his past.

"Wow. I didn't think that you of all people would be afraid of being lonely."

"Well, you learn something new every day. Now come on, let's go downstairs."

"We both go downstairs, only to see my Mum and Dad already watching something.

"Oh. I didn't know your parents were already watching."

"It's fine, let's just watch with them."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! It would be a chance to get to know them better!"

"Well, ok then."

I walk up and say hello to my parents, before asking my Mum if we can watch with them. She says yes and we both sit down on the other couch. I ask what they're watching, and she explains the plot so far, and it's pretty violent. She then tells me that this is only the beginning.

"Wow, well I wanna see what happens next."

Almost instantly after I say this, I suddenly feel very scared and worried. I don't know why, so I just try to ignore it and watch the movie.

After a few minutes, I start to hear both my parents snoring. I chuckle quietly. Then I start to feel cold.

*(Jeez, I'm a bit cold.)*

Mackenzie suddenly grabs a blanket nearby and covers us both up.

"Yeah, I'm a bit cold too."

"What? I didn't say anything."

"But I heard you say you're cold?"

"No, I didn't. I mean, I am, but I never said anything."

"Huh, that's weird. I could've sworn you said something."

"Nope."

"Huh. Strange. Anyways lets just watch."

We keep watching the movie, and the violence that my mum promised starts. I see multiple men get killed in a gunfight and I get scared and upset. I guess Mackenzie realized I was scared, because he hugged me and laid me down next to him. I start crying a little bit.

"It's ok ,Bluey. It's not real."

He Turns off the movie and hugs me tighter. My Dad, being a Dad, woke up.

"Hey! I was watching that!"

He realizes I'm crying, and starts getting defensive.

"Did you do something to her?"

"No, Dad, leave him alone." I manage to squeak out.

My Dad backs down, and apologizes. Mackenzie picks me up, carries me to my room, and lays me on my bed. He then snuggles up next to me and wraps his arms around me, spooning me. I calm down and enjoy the moment.

"Thank you, Mackenzie. I'm sorry I keep ruining our movie nights."

"No, don't say that, it's ok. You don't have to apologize. Never be scared to cry. It's natural to want to cry when scared or sad."

"Ok. thank you Kenzie."

"Of course, Blues. Anytime."

I turn off my bedside lamp and we both drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Tuesday Early Morning

Mackenzie

I wake up to an adorable Blue Heeler, asleep and drooling on my chest. I don't mind this, as I'm just happy I have someone as amazing as her in my life. I slowly maneuver off the bed, as to not wake Bluey, and go to the bathroom to do my morning routine. I check the time, and see It is currently 5:00 AM. I sigh as finish cleaning up, then I go back to Bluey's room and sit down on the floor next to her bed. I watch videos on my phone about tips on my favorite games to pass the time until Bluey wakes up. Shortly after, I hear shuffling behind me, and then a voice.

"Please come back up here. I'm lonely."

"Ok, but we need to get going soon. It's almost 5:30 and I know you get up at that time."

I crawl up onto Bluey's bed and she snuggles me. I just wish I could stay here forever. After what felt like mere seconds, her alarm goes off. We both get up, and she goes to the bathroom to do her morning routine. I wait downstairs for her to finish up, and then we do a few chores around the house, per her request. When we finish, I offer to cook brekky, and we sit down to eat, when both of her parents come downstairs, see us eating, with the bin empty, dishwasher running, towels folded, and breakfast waiting for them. Bluey and I finish up as her parents sit down.

"Thanks, both of you. I was fully expecting to wake up to multiple things needing to be done."

"No problem, Mum."

"Of course, Mrs. Heeler. I just wanted to help out."

Her Father stays silent.

"I'll be right back, Kenzie. I left my phone upstairs."

When Bluey leaves, her Dad pipes up.

"You better be treating her right. If I even THINK you did something to her."

"Bandit! come on! Leave him alone for once!"

"O-of course Mr. Heeler. I swear on my life I would never do anything to her."

"Good. You better keep your word. Or else."

"Dad! Leave Mackenzie alone for once! Please!"

"Ok, fine. But I'm still keeping my eye on him."

Bluey scoffs, hands me my bag, and pulls me outside. We walk to the bus stop and arrive at around 6:30

Bluey

"I'll be right back, Kenzie. I left my phone upstairs."

I go upstairs in search of my phone, but as soon as I'm upstairs, I suddenly feel very frightened and start shivering. I brush off the feeling, find my phone and go back downstairs to see my Dad threatening Mackenzie. Again.

"Dad! Leave Mackenzie alone for once! Please!"

"Ok, fine. But I'm still keeping my eye on him."

I hand Mackenzie his bag and pull him outside. We walk over to the bus stop and wait for almost 30 minutes for the bus. When it arrives, we board and sit in the only empty seat.

We arrive at the school and get off the bus, head to homeroom, and start another day of mind-numbingly boring lectures.

After class ends, Mackenzie states he needs to use the toilet.

"I drank too much orange juice this morning." Understandable.

As I wait for him to be done, a very large English Mastiff walks up to me and starts insulting my size.

"Look at you, puny little pup. You could probably fit in a toy car. Make sure you don't go outside when it's windy, you might blow away."

He starts belly laughing as I start tearing up. He then punches me in the gut. Hard. Stars explode across my vision as I keel over in pain and start crying. My vision goes blurry as I see a blur of black and white zoom past, followed by yelling and several loud thuds. I fall unconscious.

I wake up in the nurse's office next to Mackenzie, who is clutching his arm. I see several gashes on his body and arms, bleeding.

"Wh-what happened."

"I saw some guy punch you, and I ran over and beat him up. He's in the other room to our right. When I saw you passed out on the floor, I carried you to the nurse's office. The nurse says I probably need to go to the hospital."

I'm too weak to say anything but I just look over at him and smile. He smiles back.

"The nurse said you're fine to go back to class though, you just need to take it easy."

"What a-about the other kid?" I manage to squeak out

"Oh, he's much worse off than I am." He smirks at me after saying this.

"He's going to be suspended for a few months. Some kid in the hallway recorded the entire interaction and showed it to the Principal. Means I get off scot free. Well, not really but you know what I mean."

As if on cue, Mackenzie's Dad walks in and motions for him to come. He quickly gives me a kiss on my forehead and leaves. The nurse walks in, gives me just an ice pack, (Of course.) and sends me back to class.

Mackenzie

I'm finishing up in the bathroom when I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my abdomen. I then hear a commotion outside. I peek out and see some kid with his ball in a fist, standing over a crying Bluey. I realize what happened and fill with rage. I dash over at the kid and punch him directly in the jaw, knocking out a couple teeth. He jumps backwards and lunges at me, slamming his fist directly in the middle of my chest. I almost fall over, but I'm literally too angry to feel pain right now. I throw my fist into his side, and manage to pin his hand behind his back. He breaks free and grabs my arm, before slamming his arm into mine. I hear a deafening crunch. I break free and kick him directly in the knee, causing him to fall to his knees. I land one more punch directly on his forehead.

I look at the now unconscious English Mastiff on the floor as I walk over to Bluey, hoist her over my shoulder, and carry her to the nurse's office. I fill the nurse in on what happened, and she immediately lays bluey on a cot, as I sit down next to her. Suddenly all the pain in the world starts rushing through my entire body, and I almost pass out.

*(No, don't pass out, stay strong, Bluey needs you.)*

The principal comes in and explains that someone recorded everything, and that I wont be punished, but the attacker will. I thank her as the nurse starts inspecting my wounds.

"Oh, Jesus Mackenzie. You should probably go to the hospital. I thing you might have a broken arm. And some broken ribs."

"Ok, I'll call my Dad and ask him to pick me up."

I call my Dad, tell him what happened, and he says he'll take time off work. I sigh as I worry about Bluey.

*(I hope she isn't too hurt. She doesn't have much bruising, so hopefully she's ok.)*

Bluey wakes up, sees me, and asks what happened. I tell her everything that happened and what the principal told me. I don't tell her that I might have broken bones. I don't want her to worry.

"What a-about the other kid?"

"Oh, he's much worse off than I am. He probably has a broken leg and a concussion." I smirk at her and she smiles.

My Dad walks in and gestures me to come with him. I give Bluey a quick smooch on her head and leave. I get in the car with my dad, and we start driving to the ER.

"So... did you win?"

"Oh most definitely. He was passed out in a pool of blood as I stood over him."

My Dad laughs and pats my shoulder.

"You must've felt like such a badass at that moment, huh?"

"Yeah I did."

"Well good on ya for protecting your friend. Just don't ever start any fights, ok?"

"Yes Dad, of course."

We get to the hospital and we check in. The doctor takes a look at me, along with several x-rays.

"Well, It's good AND bad news. You have some broken ribs and a broken arm, but thankfully, the ribs that broke haven't damaged your lungs or heart. You are very lucky."

I let out a sigh of relief, but as I do, my chest bursts with excruciating pain.

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. Don't take any deep breaths or you could damage your ribs further. We're also going to keep you in the hospital for a day or two, just to monitor you, as there is a chance you could have internal bleeding."

I wince at this statement. I had hated hospitals all my life, but now more so ever since Friday. I am guided to a hospital bed, where the doctor re-sets the bone in my arm, and wraps a cast around it. He re-sets my ribs the same way, but he cant put a cast on it.

"You're going to have to take it easy for about a month or two, until your bones fully heal."

"Ok."

The doctor pokes me with an IV drip, and tells me to just relax.

"Oh, and you can have visitors if you want."

"I do."

"Ok, then I'll set your visitor status to open, but remember, you can change this at any time, just ask one of our nurses."

"Ok."

The doctor leaves the room, and my Dad stays with me for a while, before getting a call saying he needs to go back to work.

"I'm so sorry son, but I need to get back to work. I hope you can understand."

"It's ok Dad, I'll be fine. Go to work."

"Thanks mate. I'll be back tonight."

My Dad gives me a quick and light hug, as not to hurt me, and leaves the room. I'm left alone with my nothing but thoughts. And my phone.

Chapter Text

Tuesday Lunchtime

Bluey

I walk over to lunch, still hurting from this morning. The fight is all that people are talking about across the school. Anyone who didn't know about Mackenzie and I, well now they most likely know. I sit down and start eating. All my friends ask me what happened, except Coco. The whole friend group stopped talking to her after Monday morning, and we don't know where she is. Even though the video of the whole thing has already been shared across the school, I tell them what they already know and I tell them what the nurse and Principal told Mackenzie.

"Look, guys, can we not talk about it anymore. Please?"

I didn't feel like being bombarded with more questions and just wanted to eat. My plan was to immediately visit Mackenzie after school. I was going to tell my parents what happened after I get home and ask them to take me.

"I'll be right back, I need to use the toilet."

I go to the bathroom, and when I come out, I feel a sudden urge to check my locker. I open it and a letter falls out. I open and read the letter.

To:  Bluey

Mackenzie is cheating on you.

There was no name on the letter and there was a picture inside of Mackenzie holding hands with another girl at school. My mind starts racing.

*(How? Mackenzie wouldn't do this! And how could he even find the time to do this? I see him almost the entire day!  And who put this in my locker? I need to get to the bottom of this.)*

The Accuser

*(Yes! She saw the note! And she looks upset! Hopefully she believes it. Unfortunately I will have to wait until Mackenzie is back in school after the fight earlier to know the results. Then he will be mine! Bluey doesn't deserve him anyway!)*

Around Lunchtime

Mackenzie

I'm laying in my bed when I suddenly feel very confused, and then upset. I then am confused even more as to why I'm suddenly feeling this way. And why I keep feeling strong emotions randomly. I try to ignore it and start drifting off to sleep. I wake up to the sound of a nurse coming into my room.

"Hello Mackenzie. You have a visitor. Should I send her in?"

"Y-yes please."

I'm feel elated, knowing this is probably Bluey. But then I start feeling sad and angry again. I brush it off and watch Bluey walk into my room with a sad expression on her face.

"Hey Bluey! How have you been?"

She puts a photo down in my bedside table. I pick it up and look at it. I am filled with even more confusion.

"Explain this. I found this along with a note saying you were cheating on me."

After School

Bluey

"Bluey, I have no idea where this came from, but this is fake. I promise I would never cheat on you."

For a second, I don't believe him. But then I observe his tone and his expression, and I realize he's telling the truth. Like, I KNOW he's telling the truth. I can FEEL it. I tear up and hug him.

"OW OW OW! Bluey! My chest!"

I let go and start profusely apologizing. For hurting him with the hug and for ever thinking he would be unfaithful. He tells me he forgives me and reassures me that I have nothing to worry about. I hug him again, but softer this time. He hugs me back and we share a short kiss.

Mackenzie

"We need to figure out who put this in your locker."

"Yeah. I feel like this might have something to do with when you were accused of having drugs."

"Maybe, but we still need to figure out who."

"I have an idea as to who it might be."

"Who?"

"Coco. Think about it, she was really mean on Monday morning, then there was an anonymous tip, then an anonymous letter. Both were when we didn't know where Coco was, and she has been known to go to great lengths over very petty things. Maybe she's upset at you or something and she's trying to get you in trouble."

"Huh. That's a lot to take in."

"Sorry, But that's what I think. I might be wrong."

"I dunno, but let's not think about it too much right now." I grab her cheek. "For now I just want to enjoy my girlfriend's company."

She blushes at my statement and crawls up onto my hospital bed with me and cuddles me.

Right as her Dad walks in the room.

*(Crap. I was wondering who brought her here.)*

I half expect her Dad to get upset at us, but he just stands there looking at us, deep in thought. I give him a small wave. He waves back and walks up to us.

"Dad, I swear if you say anything."

"No, I'm not. I just want to see if Mackenzie is ok."

I am genuinely surprised at this statement.

"The nurse told me what happened. Are you ok mate? Do you want me to tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

"I have a broken arm and a few broken ribs, and I need to stay in the hospital for another day or two. The doctor is worried I might have internal bleeding and needs to monitor me."

"Oh! That's horrible Mackenzie!"

"Yeah, it is. And I will still need to rest for about a month or two after I get out."

She starts to tear up, and softly buries her head in my chest.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, you're good."

"I love you, Kenzie."

"I love you too, Blues."

We both forget about her Father standing right next to us. We both look at him with an embarrassed expression. He chuckles slightly, and stands up.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. I'll be in the mess hall. I'm hungry."

We both blush as he leaves the room.

"I guess he kind of doesn't hate me anymore?"

"I guess. But I promise, he wont do anything to you."

"Ok, Bluey. I trust you. I hope you're right."

She chuckles and gives me a kiss on the nose. I give her one back. We both lay there and embrace each other, hoping the moment never ends.

Thursday Afternoon

Bluey

I have been keeping a close eye on Coco whenever I could. Hoping to maybe catch her doing something. I also count down the minutes until school ends, as today is when Mackenzie is released from the hospital. We planned to meet after school. He said he wanted to show me something. I had been wondering what it could be all day. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. One more period and I could talk to Mackenzie again.

During the last period, Chloe comes up to me, looking angry.

"Hey, Chloe, Why do you look so angry?"

"Why aren't you? Haven't you heard? Mackenzie is cheating on you!"

*(Oh No. Someone spread a rumor. This is bad.)*

"Mackenzie and I already sorted that out! He didn't cheat on me. Someone is lying."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I know Kenzie! He would never! I know it."

"Ok, Bluey. Whatever you say."

Smoky overhears our conversation, but not all of it, and chimes in.

S: "Wait, Mackenzie cheated on you?! That piece of sh--."

B: "He didn't cheat on me Smoky! Someone is spreading a rumor."

S: "Oh, ok. But how do you know?"

B: "Because Mackenzie would never do anything like that."

S: "Well, I wanna find out who is lying then."

Ch: "Yeah, Me too. But how?"

B: "I have a note that 'The Accuser' wrote to me, claiming Mackenzie isn't loyal. Maybe we can figure out who it is through the handwriting."

S: "Yeah! Let's do that! But first we need to narrow down who it could be. Is there anyone who is upset at you or Mack? Did you or he upset someone? Anything from winning a board game to maybe them thinking one of you 'stole' their crush. Anyone?"

B: "Yeah, Coco. She was really upset when she found out Mackenzie and I were dating, and she made several inappropriate remarks about him. And I haven's really talked to her since. And before I found this note, Mackenzie was sent to the principals office on an anonymous tip from someone that he had drugs at school. Before, during, and after both 'events', Coco was nowhere to be found."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in."

"Yeah I know, but it's our best shot."

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Everyone flooded out of class as usual, with me and a couple others waiting for the chaos to end before leaving. I got in my car and started driving. Halfway to the spot, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and joy. I didn't know why, but I just smiled and drove to where Mackenzie told me to.

Mackenzie

I had just finished setting up my surprise for Bluey, a short while after the end of the school day, With the help of my Dad, of course. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and joy. I eagerly waited for Bluey to tell me she was here.

Bluey

I park and get out of the car, where I see Mackenzie. I hug him and he guides me to the playground.

"What are we doing here?"

"Wait. Let's keep going."

We keep walking he guides us into the bush.

"Are you taking me to the creek?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. you'll see."

We keep walking and arrive at the waterfall, where I spot the surprise. My jaw drops.

Chapter Text

Thursday afternoon

Bluey

He made us a picnic! With all of my favorite foods! Cheese and Jam toast, fruit salad, German sausages, edamame beans, and Pavlova for dessert! Along with food, he had built a small fairy garden and had materials to make Barky Boats!

"Ever since that day when we were in Kindy, I've paid attention to you much more closely. I noticed all the tiny things you do that makes me laugh. I started noticing details about you that I love. Your adorable smile and cute laugh. Your beautiful, ocean-blue eyes. This little tuft of fur on your forehead that I just cannot get enough of!"

I ruffle said tuft of fur as she smiles.

"I've felt the same way too, Kenzie. Your deep voice that is much more noticeable when you laugh. Your Hazel eyes that remind me of the sunset. the fact that you have two little protruding hair puffs that kinda looks like a mullet. But that's ok though, I like mullets."

She carefully hugs me and tears up a little bit.

"Are you ok Bluey?"

"Yeah. These are happy tears."

We both look into each other's eyes. We somehow both know what the other one is going to say.

B/M: "I want to spend the rest of my life with you"

We both pull in for a kiss. Our longest one yet. We break it and just hug for a while. Until Mackenzie chimes in.

"C'mon, lets eat."

"Ok yeah, lets do that."

We sit down and start eating. The toast tastes great. The fruit salad is so juicy and sweet. The sausages so savory and salty. The pavlova so creamy and spongey. We finish the meal by snacking on the edamame beans. we ate everything while listening to the wildlife around us. the trees swaying in the wind. The occasional dragonfly flying past and the occasional lizard scurrying through the brush. The calm, rich sound of the waterfall. This is amazing. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. I lean my head on his shoulder and he leans back.

We stay here for almost an hour when I suddenly feel like I want more from Mackenzie. Not as in more picnics like these, but more... physically. I blush as I push the thought away and just enjoy the moment.

"Let's play Barky Boats!"

"Ooh ok!"

Mackenzie

Bluey seemed very happy about this picnic. I'm glad I could make her happy after what happened to her. I felt like it was my fault for some reason. Like me leaving her alone caused that 'interaction' to happen. I suddenly start feeling like I want more from our relationship. I remember what Bluey's Dad said, and I decide to distract myself from this way of thinking by breaking the silence.

"Let's play Barky Boats!"

"Ooh ok!"

We make our boats and race them down the creek. I win first, then Bluey, then Bluey again, then me, and after playing for a while, we end up with a score of Me: 4 Bluey: 6 out of 10 races.

"Yes! I won!"

"Yeah, you did. good job Bluey."

She didn't know this, but I purposefully lost so that she could be happy. I never told her until years later on our 40th anniversary.

Bluey's phone chimes, and she checks it.

"Oh. I'm sorry Mackenzie, but my dad want's me back home."

"It's ok Blues, you go ahead. I'll just call my Dad to pick me up."

"But it isn't ok! We were having such a good time together!"

I hold Bluey's hand

"Bluey, we will have so many more good times together, I'm sure of it. Now please, go back home before your Dad skins me alive and ties my skin into a noose to hang me with."

"Jesus Mackenzie! That is very specific!"

She chuckles and we both share one more kiss.

"I love you, Mackenzie."

"I love you too, Bluey."

She breaks free from my hand and jogs to her car. She waves out the window as she drives off and I wave back.

I call my Dad and ask him to pick me up.

"Sure son, I'll be there in a few. Did you have fun? Did you two have... fun time?"

"No Dad! Jesus! Wha- we were in the middle of the forest! Gross!"

"Well, ya never know. In college, I met this woman at a club, and we hit it off. Next thing you know, we were in the bathroo-"

"DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE!"

"Ok! Jeez."

"Bye Dad."

I hang up and feel disgusted. I just wait for him to show up and take me home. As soon as we get home, I lay on my bed and think about the fun Bluey and I had. We would get to have more fun tomorrow, though.

2 Months Later...

Bluey

Mackenzie is finally getting his cast off today, which means he can finally take his driver's test. He's been wanting to get one for forever and now he can! It's also perfect timing, because the school is planning a field trip to Washington in the United States! Unfortunately, were all going to be stuck on a plane for almost two days as we fly from Brisbane to Spain, and then from Spain to the US. But I get to spend it all with Mackenzie. 

Chapter Text

Saturday Afternoon

Mackenzie

I anxiously ride with Bluey to the DMV before she parks and I step out.

"Don't worry, Mackenzie. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, Bluey. I love you."

"I love you. Now go and become fully independent."

She waves as she drives off. I am left standing there.

I turn around and head inside. I tell the receptionist lady my name, appointment, and show her all my documentation. She guides me to a back room and has me sit down at a table. She places a piece of paper on the table. The written test. She hands me a pencil and leaves the room. I start nervously checking all the appropriate boxes and writing out all the information I know about driving laws. Speed limits, stop signs, traffic lights, traffic cones, crosswalks, freeways, pedestrians, parking garages, the whole thing. I fill out the first page and flip to the next. I am asked several questions about criminal history, work history, and other frankly personal information. I finish the test and head back out. I tell the receptionist I'm done, and she takes the test. I wait for around 20 minutes when a driving instructor enters the room.

"Good news, you passed the written test with a score MUCH higher than average. Now onto the driving portion of the test."

He guides me outside to a Toyota Corolla and gets in the passenger seat. I get in the driver's seat.

I am asked to start the car and perform basic functions inside the car. Buckle up, turn signal left and right, hazard lights, windshield wipers, roll the windows up and down, lock and unlock the car, shift into different gears, and finally, start driving.

I slowly roll out of the parking lot, making sure to use turn signals where appropriate. I stop at stop signs, stop and go at lights, stop at crosswalks, pull into and out of different parking lots. Then the instructor tells me to get on the freeway. I see the speede limit is 110 KM/H. I start going at a steady 105. I'm told to merge, using turn signals, I'm told to pull over in the breakdown lane. I'm told to start driving again and get off at the next exit. I drive back to the DMV, making sure to not mess anything up. I park the car and am told to get out and go back inside. I sit down and wait for the results.

The instructor comes out after about 10 minutes.

"Good news again! You passed the test! And your score is one of the best I've seen in my entire career! Not one mistake! Great job! Now just follow me and we'll take your picture for your license. Just don't smile."

I go into the room and sit down. A camera is pointed at me and my picture is taken. I am beaming with joy. I did it! I have my license! Now I just need to save up for a car and I will be able to go wherever I want! And just in time for my 17th Birthday! I ring Bluey and tell her the good news. she also sounds elated.

"This is amazing Mackenzie! Now I don't have to drive us everywhere!" She starts laughing.

"Yeah I guess so. Could you pick me up now? I can drive but I still don't have a car."

"Heh, yeah. I'll be there in a little bit. Love you!"

"Love you too, Blues. See ya soon."

I hang up and play games on my phone to pass the time.

Bluey

*(I'm so happy for Mackenzie! Now I can give the go-ahead for Mackenzie's birthday present for tomorrow! I cant wait to see the look on his face!)*

I drive back to the DMV and pick up Mackenzie. I see his face utterly flooding with joy. I get out of the seat of my BMW M2 and step to the side. And offer to let him drive my car.

"Wanna try out your new license?"

"I-sure, but I just got it, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I trust you."

"Ok then."

He gets in the driver's seat of my car and buckles up. I get in the passenger seat and buckle up. I realize that I haven't sat in the left seat of my car, ever. Mackenzie sets SatNav to my house, puts the car in drive and slowly rolls out of the lot. He follows SatNav's instructions on where to go, and follows all the traffic laws perfectly. I had never seen someone so new to driving, drive so well. I quickly message my Mum.

Mum

Hey Mum, Mackenzie passed the test.

We have a green light.

Copy, am now setting up delivery.

Ranger should arrive tonight while he's asleep.

A-firm.

My Mum and I decided to talk like we're in the military since it's funny. I laugh at the way we were typing and Mackenzie notices.

"What's so funny? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's just a funny image I saw."

"Oh, ok. Am I doing good?"

"Yes, you're doing amazing! maybe even better than me!"

"I don't know about THAT. But, ok."

He pulls into our driveway about 30 minutes before sunset. He puts the car in park, turns the car off and steps out. We both walk inside to our family congratulating Mackenzie. His Father is also here. He seems to be the most proud. He hugs his son and starts tearing up.

"I knew you were gonna grow up, but I didn't expect it to be so soon!"

My Dad chimes in.

"I know, right? Fells like just last week my Bluey here was still begging me to play tickle crabs with her!"

Everyone laughs at my Dad's comment, and we all sit down for dinner. I still can't wait for tomorrow.

Everyone eats dinner and Mackenzie offers to watch a movie.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna ruin ANOTHER movie."

"You never ruined the movies, you just got scared during them. It's ok, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Ok then. Well, let's go watch upstairs."

"Upstairs? But will we be comfortable sitting on the floor? And what's wrong with the living room?"

"Nothing, I just felt like it might be a nice change of pace."

This is a lie, I actually want Mackenzie upstairs so that my parents can set up the surprise party downstairs for him in the morning. And so that he doesn't see his present arrive.

"Well, ok then. Whatever makes you happy, Blues."

We go upstairs, get settled and start re-watching the same robot movie from our first movie night. Mackenzie also checks if there will be any rain for tonight.

"Nope, weather app says clear skies for a few days, we're good."

"Ok, then. Let's finally watch a full movie."

We set up a makeshift cot on the floor and sit on it to watch. Halfway through the movie, we lay down and I start spooning him while we watch. I rest my head over his shoulder so I can still see the movie. for the 50th time this week, I never want this to end. We lay there until we both drift off to sleep.

Mackenzie

"Hey, Bluey. Wanna watch a movie tonight?"

"Are you sure? I don't wanna ruin ANOTHER movie."

"You never ruined the movies, you just got scared during them. It's ok, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Ok then. Well, let's go watch upstairs."

"Upstairs? But will we be comfortable sitting on the floor? And what's wrong with the living room?"

"Nothing, I just felt like it might be a nice change of pace."

feel like Bluey is lying for some reason, but I just go along with it.

"Well, ok then. Whatever makes you happy, Blues."

We both go upstairs, set up a cot on the floor to sit on, make sure that there is no rain tonight, and turn on the same robot movie from our first movie night.

At some point, we both lay down and Bluey spoons me while we watch. for the 50th time this week, I never want this to end. We lay there until we both drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Sunday Morning

Mackenzie

I wake up, very confused as to where I am. I remember yesterday's events, and realize I'm laying on the floor in Bluey's bedroom. Bluey is laying basically right on top of me, snoring. I grab my phone and see it is currently 10:17 AM. I can't get up without waking Bluey, so I just lay there and play games on my phone. After about 30 minutes, I need to use the dunny, so I try to pry Bluey off of me and set her on her bed without waking me up. I fail to keep her asleep and she opens her eyes.

"Oh, hey Kenzie."

"Hey Bluey. Sorry I woke you but you were sleeping on top of me and I need to use the toilet."

"Oh, don't apologies, I understand."

I give her a kiss and leave the room to use the toilet. When I exit the bathroom, I hear a lot of movement downstairs. Bluey walks out of her room as I am about to go down and investigate. She follows me and we both reach the bottom of the stairs, and all the lights flash on.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MACKENZIE!"

All of my and Bluey's friends are here, along with my Dad and her parents. I am completely stunned as I just freeze in place. I knew something was up with Bluey last night. Laughing at her phone and then wanting to go upstairs right away. I smile as Bluey guides me to the living room, where all the refreshments, games and presents are.

"Wow. Thank you everyone. This is amazing!"

Everyone: "You're welcome, Mackenzie!"

"Do you wanna play first or open presents?" Bluey asks me.

"Lets have some fun first. But what to play? Ooh! I know!"

"What?"

I smirk at her

"Tickle crabs!"

I immediately start tickling Bluey as she convulses and bursts out laughing as she tries to tickle me back.

Everyone else starts chasing each other throughout the house tickling each other. After about 20 minutes, the chaos that I had ensued dies down and Bluey offers for me to open my presents.

"From: Lucky."

I open the present and find a phone case. But its for a different phone than the one I have.

"Gee, thanks for the wrong phone case, Lucky." I say sarcastically

Everyone laughs as Bluey smirks at me and hands me the present she got for me. I unwrap it and see the newest model of phone sitting in my hands.

"Oh my god Bluey! Thank you! My phone is complete garbage and I've been meaning to get a new one!"

I then realize that the case Lucky got me fits my new phone.

"Sorry, Lucky. I didn't know."

"It's all good, there was no way you could've known."

"Well, I don't think anything can top this, but I'll still go through the rest of the gifts."

Everyone starts smirking at each other and a couple people laugh.

"Why's everyone looking at each other like that?" I ask Bluey.

"You'll see." Replies Bluey..

I unwrap the rest of my presents. Not much. Just some cool trinkets and gadgets for my new phone. The most memorable one being a really cool tesseract-looking optical illusion cube. I thank everyone for the gifts and Bluey chimes in.

"Ok, now that all of the small presents are done with, lets go outside, shall we?"

I give her a confused look.

"What's outside?"

"You'll see." She smirks at me. I get up and Bluey hands me a blindfold.

"Wear this."

"O-ok. But why?"

"You'll see!"

Bluey guides me outside, and I can tell from the path we took that we're in the driveway.

"Give me your hand."

"Ok?"

I open up my hand and she places something in my hand. It feels like a... keychain. With a fob on it.

I rip off the blindfold and see a Ford ranger with a custom black and white paint job in front of me.

I turn to Bluey. I can only imagine my expression.

"You got me a truck?!" I had been big into pickup trucks for a while, and Bluey knew this.

"WE got you a truck." She smiles at me and I turn to everyone else.

"Thi-this is amazing!" I am simply too shocked to say anything else.

I turn back to Bluey. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in for a kiss. Everyone cheers. I break the kiss and I start tearing up.

"This is the best birthday anyone could wish for. Thank you. All of you."

Everyone: "You're welcome, Mackenzie!"

Bluey: "Well, go on. Try out your new truck. It's the off-road version."

I walk up to the truck,  get in, and buckle up. I start it and immediately fall in love. The sound of that engine is just amazing.

I call Bluey to get in with me. She hops in the passenger seat and buckles up. I rev the engine until it redlines and take off. I go a little bit faster than I'd like to admit, but I'm just too happy. Bluey freaks out and starts scream/laughing. I slow down as I get to a turn and I start doing a loop around the neighborhood.

"You know, this is almost exactly the same as when I first got my car. I had just gotten my license and my parents surprised me with A BMW. Only differences being It wasn't on my birthday and I didn't have someone as amazing as you to share it with.

"Thank you, Bluey. So much. I never thought this is how my birthday would turn out. I expected you and me to go somewhere for food, you would give me a small gift, and that would be it. That's all the birthdays I've ever had growing up. So thank you. I love you"

"You're welcome, Mackenzie. I love you too.  But it wasn't just me. It was everyone. All of us pitched in."

I stop at Bluey's house and turn off the truck. I hop out and thank everyone several more times over the course of the day. At the end of the day, Bluey offers to take me to dinner. I obviously offer to drive us in my new truck.

We go to a steakhouse in the evening. I order a T-bone,  and Bluey orders a Ribeye. We eat, pay and secede to go for a walk through the city.

"This is nice. Thanks, Kenzie."

"I should be thanking YOU. This is quite literally the best birthday I've had in my life! I've never been happier!"

We end the night by stopping at an ice cream stand. Bluey orders a medium with one scoop mango and one scoop strawberry. I order a medium with chocolate and vanilla.

"How original." Bluey says jokingly.

"Hey! Sorry I've already eaten a lot and don't feel like having too much flavor in one night!"

Bluey laughs as we get our ice cream and sit down. We finish and walk back to my truck. We get in, buckle up, and I drive back to Bluey's house. We arrive and we both get out. The party has dispersed by now, and everyone has gone home. Bluey and I just sit in the kitchen and drink tea. Until Bluey suggests something.

Sunday Night

Bandit

I overhear Bluey and Mackenzie talking. I ignore it until one line from Bluey catches my attention.

"Hey Kenzie. How about I give you one last birthday present."                                                                      Bluey says this in a seductive voice. I immediately realize what's going on. I'm about to burst into the kitchen until I hear Mackenzie say something.

"But-but your Dad said not until we're both 18."

I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Until I hear the rest of the conversation.

"I don't care. I've loved you for years and liked you for even longer. I want you to be my first time."

"Uh- well, ok. But you know if your Dad finds out, I'm dead. Like literally. Funeral and everything."

I am filled with rage and am about to burst into the kitchen again when I realize something. They're literally perfect for each other. She stayed with him and comforted him when his Mother died. He comforted her TWICE when she was scared of a movie. He buys her dinner almost constantly. He's always the first to act whenever she gets hurt. He protected her from a bully, even when he ended up with a broken arm and ribs. There is NOTHING that he wouldn't do for her. And there is NOTHING she wouldn't do for him. Just like she had told me. I have experienced it myself. I've seen these things. I know it to be true. I decide to let it slide as I see the pair walk out of the kitchen.

Bl: "Hey, Dad. I think were gonna tuck in for the night."

M: "Yeah, I'm pretty tired."

I chime in.

Ba: "I didn't know you GOT tired, Mackenzie."

M: "Well, not really tired more so bored and wanting to go to sleep."

Ba: "Suuuuure. Well, goodnight."

I hear the two scurry off, closing the door and locking it.

*(Yeah right. Tired. As if)*

Chapter Text

Bluey

A week has gone by since Mackenzie's birthday. He drives his truck any chance he has. Tomorrow, the school will be taking a trip to the capital of the United States, Washington DC. first we will take a 17 hour flight to Spain, where we will wait in the airport for about 3 hours for another flight to the capital. In total, it will be about a day and a half of travelling. We will then spend about a day and a half in the US before flying back to Spain, and then Australia. I am NOT prepared for this trip. I haven't been able to sleep all week, I've been thinking about this trip. I message Mackenzie.

Kenzie

Hey.

Can you come over? I cant sleep

Sure. I'll be there soon. Love you Blues!

Love you too Kenzie!

I make sure my parents are sleeping, and then go downstairs and wait for Mackenzie. I hear a car pull up to the driveway, and I see Mackenzie get out of his truck. I open the door and let him in. We both go upstairs and lay down. I immediately feel better.

"Is it possible that you could just always sleep here? I prefer this way more than sleeping alone."

"Me too, Blues. But I would practically have to move in with you. And I don't know how your dad would feel about that."

"I guess. But still."

"Yeah, still. Anyways lets get some sleep."

I lay on his chest as he lays on his back. We both fall asleep pretty quickly.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

My 5:30 alarm is normal for me, but not for Mackenzie. He gets startled.

"Ugh. I forgot you like to do chores in the morning." He groaned

"I don't like to do it. I want to do it for my parents."

"Ok. Sure. Well I'm still going to help you."

We both get up and do our morning routine together. We both go around the house and do all the morning chores. I also cook brekky. Bluey's parents wake up and come out when Bluey and I are done eating. I expect Bluey's Dad to be upset at me being here, but to the surprise of Bluey and I, he engages in small talk.

"Hey, Mackenzie. How are you? I haven't seen you since last week."

"I'm ok, Mr. Heeler. Bluey asked me to come over since she couldn't sleep. And frankly, neither could I. "

"Ok, then. And please, call me Bandit."

I am stunned that my Dad is being so casual with Mackenzie. It seems Mackenzie is too. I guess my Dad has finally warmed up to Mackenzie. I excuse Mackenzie and I and we both go upstairs to pack for the trip. Hair brush, laptop, clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, and some other toiletries.

My Dad drives us so that we don't leave a car at the airport for almost a week. My mum also tags along.

We stop by Mackenzie's house so that he can grab a couple of things and say goodbye to his Dad. He gets back in the car and we head to the airport. We arrive at the airport and I say goodbye to my parents.

"See ya, Bluey. Have fun."

"I will, Dad."

"Bring me back something from a gift shop."

"I will Mum. Don't worry."

I turn around and see my Dad hug Mackenzie.

Mackenzie

Bluey's Dad hugs me. I am very surprised.

"You look after my daughter, ok?"

"Yes, sir- I mean Bandit."

"Don't get her pregnant."

"Uh.....ok?" I feel very uncomfortable from Bandit's comment.

He lets go and Bluey grabs my hand as we walk into the airport. She waves back to her parents as they disappear from view. She starts to tear up.

"Hey, it's ok. You'll see them soon enough."

"I know, but still."

We go through security, get to our gate and get some food to pass the time .We meet up with the rest of the class. Mr. Pyrenees, Ms. Retriever, and Mrs. Koolie are our chaperones. An hour later, we are told to board. The entire class, as usual, flood to the doors and become a blob of people. Only Mackenzie, Smoky and I stay back.

S: "Another reason this is a good idea is when you board the plane, they're almost never full, and there are no more people boarding, which means you can sit in whatever empty seats you want."

B/M: "You still remember our conversation from almost 3 months ago?"

S: "Yeah, I guess."

B/M: "How?"

S: "I dunno. I just do."

Mackenzie and I ignore the very strange characteristics of the Timber Wolf next to us and decide to check what seats we have.

M: "I have 31D."

B: "I have 27F. I was hoping we could sit together."

S: "That's the thing! When we board, if you can find two empty seats next to each other, they're yours!"

B/M: "Oh yeah!"

We board the plane last, and we find an entire empty row. But it's the only empty seats on the plane.

S: "Hey, can I get the aisle seat? I like being able to get up and use the bathroom without having to scoot past people."

M: "Sure."

B: "Can I get the window seat? I've never flown before and I want to watch the takeoff and landing."

M: "Sure, that's fine."

It was true, I had never flown before. But Mackenzie had flown before when travelling to Australia from New Zealand. And a couple more times to visit family back home. I was quite nervous, but I tried to hide it.

We sat down and got situated. The flight attendants went through multiple safety procedures.

"In the case of loss of cabin pressure"

"In the case of a water landing"

"In the case of a fire"

This was not helping my anxiety in the slightest. Mackenzie must've noticed, as he hugged me and reassured me.

"It's ok, Blues. These things are very unlikely to happen. Statistically, the car ride to the airport is more dangerous than flying on a plane. You're safe. Don't worry"

"O-ok. I'll try."

Mackenzie

The stewardesses are giving out instructions for emergency situations, when I suddenly feel very nervous and anxious. This was strange, considering the fact that I had flown on a plane several times before this. I look over at Bluey, who is visibly shaking. I hug her and tell her that she is fine. That she has nothing to worry about. She calms down somewhat, and I let go of her.

"Why do we need to turn on airplane mode?"

"Because if you don't, your phone will try to get signal constantly and it will drain the battery. And it can also mess with the radio on the plane."

"Oh. Ok."

About 15 minutes later, the plane is taxiing to the runway, about to take off.

I see Bluey start to get scared again, and I hold her hand, and this calms her down.

The plane lurches forward as the engines roar. We keep gaining and gaining speed.

I look over and see Bluey with her eyes closed. I rub her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

We lift off the ground and 5 minutes later, we are told we can remove our seatbelts. Bluey is hyperventilating at this point.

I take off my and her seatbelt and I hold her in my arms until she calms down.

"Th-thank you, Mackenzie." I can tell in her voice that she is almost crying. I kiss the top of her muzzle and rub her hair.

"It's ok. You're safe. I would never have let you fly if I knew it was dangerous."

She calms down fully and lays her head in my lap. I turn on the small monitor on the back of our seat, plug my earbuds into the jack, and we watch the movie currently playing.

We do this for about 3 movies when we hit turbulence. Bluey Immediately jumps up and hugs me. She starts quietly crying into my fur. I rub the back of her head to calm her down.

"It's ok. We just hit an air pocket. That's all. The plane shakes sometimes. You have nothing to worry about." She stops crying and lays back down.

After half of another movie, She is passed out in my lap. I decide to get some sleep too. I listen to a 'calming music' playlist on my phone and lay my head back. The playlist contains mostly Minecraft music.

I slowly drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Bluey

I wake up from the plane shaking again, and Mackenzie immediately starts rubbing my head. I manage to not get too scared as I try to focus on the movie playing. Around this time, the flight attendants give us our complementary meals. Mackenzie chooses a tuna sandwich with crackers and a sprite. I choose a fried fish sandwich with a banana and a ginger beer.

Mackenzie notices Smoky next to us, passed out. He pinches his ear to wake him up.

"Ahh! dude what the fuu-dge."

I chuckle at his measly attempt to cover up a swear. Smoky chooses a hot dog with fries and a root beer. Mackenzie pipes up.

M: "What? Mate you got a root beer? My brother in Christ, root beer tastes like cough medicine."

S: "Ugh. Everyone I know says that. I like it! I personally don't see how someone could taste that. To me, It tastes more like vanilla."

B: "Ok, mate. Whatever. Live in your own fantasies I guess."

S: "You know, you really can't be talking, Bluey. You got a ginger beer. Ginger beer quite literally tastes like that feeling when your leg falls asleep and feels like needles poking you."

Mackenzie and I both laugh.

B: "Yeah, it actually kind of does. But I like it."

S: "And I like root beer, so case closed."

Mackenzie and I go back to the movie playing while we eat. Its the same movie Mackenzie and I watched about the guy attacking the Russian mafia because they killed his cat.

"You want me to change the movie, Blues? You got scared of this one."

"No, keep it on. I'm going to try to not be scared of things anymore."

"Well, good on ya. But if you ever want me to turn it off, just tell me."

"Ok. I will."

I manage to make it through the whole movie, despite all the violence.

"You know, the ending was actually really cool. He found another cat to replace the one that got killed."

"Yeah, this movie is pretty hardcore. Especially when the Mafia boss realizes who he's up against. The look on his face was golden."

"You know, I heard there is a second one. And a third and fourth. There's also a FIFTH one coming out next year!"

"Wow. They're really milking this for all it's worth."

The plane shakes again and I jump. But I don't freak out.

We keep watching movies on the monitor until we both fall asleep again.

Mackenzie

I am really proud of Bluey for making it through the movie that had her in tears a couple months ago. And for not freaking out when we had hit an air pocket. I rub her head as we slowly fall asleep again.

Smoky.

I just get done with my meal when I look over at Bluey and Mackenzie. They are both sound asleep.

*(Man, they look so adorable together. Wish I had someone like that to cuddle.)*

Mackenzie

I suddenly wake up and find myself in the middle of a hospital lobby. I feel the urge to run into the room in front of me. I rush in and see my Mother on the bed, having just flatlined. I start sobbing. I run up the stairs, open the door to the roof access, run up to the edge and jump off without a second thought. Right before I hit the ground, I find myself In the lobby again. I run into the room in front of me again, and see my dead mother on the bed again. I run upstairs to the roof and jump off. Again. Right before I collide with the ground, I find myself in the lobby again. This loop repeats about 20 more times before I wake up for real life.

I wake up and find myself covered in sweat and tears. Bluey is at my side, asking if I'm ok. I start sobbing and hug her. I cry into her fur for about 20 minutes before I manage to compose myself.

"What happened, Kenzie? Did you have a nightmare? You just started crying and yipping in your sleep."

"Yeah. I had a nightmare that went to the hospital and I saw my dead Mother on a hospital bed, before I ran up to the roof and jumped off. But right before I hit the ground, I found myself in the hospital lobby again. This kept happening over and over again like 20 more times.

"Oh, Mackenzie. I'm so sorry. That must've been horrible."

"it was, but it was just a stupid dream. I should stop thinking about it."

We then hear an announcement over the intercom.

"Hello, everyone. This is your captain speaking. We are currently dropping altitude and will land In Madrid, Spain in approximately 30 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts as we begin our descent."

Bluey starts to get nervous when the plane starts dropping.

"It's ok, Bluey, this is just like taking off. You'll be fine. I promise."

"Ok. Ok. I trust you."

I see Bluey staring out the window. The city lights beam through, at it is now nighttime. The view looks beautiful. I snap a picture, and Bluey does the same.

The plane jerks as it lines up with the runway. Bluey grabs my hand again as we stat descending even more rapidly. The wheels of the plane connect with the runway, and the entire plane shakes violently. Bluey squeezes my hand harder, but she does not avert her gaze from the window. The plane slows to a crawl as it docks with the terminal. The captain tells everyone to remain seated, but of course, almost everyone stands up and tries to leave the cabin. Smoky, Bluey and I are the only ones on the plane still sitting. We wait for the plane to empty, and then stand up, grab our luggage, and leave the airplane. Bluey tells me she's hungry as our guide tells us to go over to the international currency exchange booth to convert our Australian dollars into Spanish Euros. We will have to do the same when we get on our next flight, and when we arrive in the US.

Bluey

I exchange my Aussie dollar bucks for the Spanish euro, and Mackenzie and I decide to go meet up with the rest of our friends. We see the friend group standing in a circle, with Jack in the middle, chugging a strange liquid out of a McDonald's cup. I ask Rusty what he's drinking, and he tells me.

R: "Jack filled a cup with a little bit of every soda from that Mcd's over there and is chugging it." Rusty points to a McDonalds nearby.

M: "Jesus! That's gross!"

B: "Yeah! Ew!"

I then see Jack run to a bin nearby and empty the contents of his digestive system into said bin. I almost throw up myself at the sight.

The entire group erupts into yells, laughter, 'grosses', 'ews' and 'disgustings'.

I suddenly decide that i'm not so hungry anymore

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

It was about midnight where we were at, and everyone was tired. Our next flight was in the morning. I decided to get some sleep, as did almost everyone else. We decided to check into a hotel at the airport.

All the guys would be spread out between two rooms, and the girls the same. Rusty, Jack, Lucky, Smoky and I would get one room. I didn't know the arrangement for the girls' rooms.

As soon as we all got settled, Rusty started with his shenanigans. He mostly would just have Jack do something gross or dangerous. Like take a bite out of the soap or something. I wasn't having any of it and was trying to sleep.

But then Lucky piped up.

L: "I don't know why, but it feels insane that I will have visited two new countries in the span of a week."

Smoky, of course, had something to say about that.

S: "Nah, dude. If you never left the airport or the hotel, you never really visited the country. You gotta at least visit a restaurant or something."

R: "Yeah, I kind of agree. We're just here for a layover."

L: "Well screw you then. Why you got to ruin the moment?"

J: "Can you guys please be quiet? I'm trying to sleep."

M: "Yeah, me too. Please shut up."

S: "Alright! Fine! Jeez."

Our room had 2 queen beds and one couch. I decided to sleep on the couch. I didn't want a bunkmate messing with me at night. Knowing our friend group, this could range from a wet willy to sexual assault.

I finally managed to fall asleep about 30 minutes later, since my friends decided to ignore Jack and I's pleas for them to be quiet.

Bluey

I enter our hotel room. With me are Judo, Indy, Chloe and a Terrier named Cinnamon. We decide to play truth or dare, since nobody wants to go to sleep.

J: "Indy, Truth or Dare."

I: "Truth."

J: "Who do you like?"

Indy blushes as she mutters. Nobody hears her.

J: "Who?"

I: "R-Rusty."

Everyone ooohs as Indy tries to explain herself.

I: "He's just adorable! He does so many stupid things, and it's funny. Anyways, Cinnamon, Truth or Dare?"

Ci: "Dare."

I: "I dare you to kiss the person you like tomorrow morning."

Ci: "Ok, fine. Chloe, Truth o-"

Ch: "Truth."

Ci: "What's the grossest thing you've ever done?"

Ch: "Well, one time I was eating an apple that I had eaten half of the day prior, but my mouth started feeling tingly. I then took a closer look, and realized there were ants all over the apple!"

Everyone: "EEEWW!"

Ch: "Yeah, it was pretty gross. But hey! Extra protein!"

Ci: "You're disgusting."

Ch: "Ok, whatever. Bluey, Truth or Dare?"

B: "Truth."

Ch: "Have you ever.... done it with Mackenzie?"

I freeze as I hesitate whether to say yes or no.

Ch: "OOOOH! You have!"

Everyone starts oohing and laughing. I take the attention off of me by asking Judo.

B: "Judo, Truth or Dare?"

J: "Dare."

I think for a moment.

B: "I dare you to..... drop a plate on purpose tomorrow at breakfast."

J: "Ok, done."

Everyone decides to go to sleep, as it's almost 1:00 AM.

I wake up at around 4:00 in the morning, feeling very scared and upset for some reason. I see everyone else in the room with me is asleep. I decide to go outside to get some fresh air.

When I leave the room however, I see Mackenzie sitting on a seat in the lobby, holding his head in his hands.

I walk up to him and sit down next to him. He stays completely still.

"Mackenzie, are you ok?"

He says nothing and starts to tear up. I put my hand on his shoulder and ask him again.

"Kenzie, what's wrong? You can talk to me."

He remains silent.

I hug him and he breaks down. He starts mumbling about his mother, and I realize just how  pent up he had been emotionally.

Mackenzie

I find myself In a hospital room. With my dead mother on a bed in front of me. She has a note in her hand. I slowly walk up and pull the note from her cold hands, trying not to start sobbing. I open and read the note.

"You could've seen me one last time. Instead, you went out with some stupid girl."

I drop the note and run out of the room. I run out onto the street, trying to find my house, before a huge truck comes flying at me. Just before collision, I find myself in the hospital room again.

I read the note again, run out of the hospital again, get hit by a truck, and awake back in the hospital room. Again. And again. I lose track of how many times this hell loops in on itself. After what feels like an eternity, I awake in the hotel room. Everyone is snoring, asleep. Except me. I quickly get up and leave the room. I sit down and try to hold back tears. My minds starts buzzing with these thoughts. I think about what the note said.

"You could've seen me one last time. Instead, you went out with some stupid girl."

This thought loops in my head over and over. My senses start to blur, as I feel nothing but guilt.

*(Could I have seen my Mother one last time? I could've. I really could've. SO WHY DIDN'T I!)*

I suddenly snap back to reality, and I see Bluey next to me, trying to comfort me. I break down and hug her. I start mumbling through my tears.

"I-I could've seen her one last time. I could've. But in-instead, I-I went w-with you to the c-creek. I made a m-mistake. I'm so sorry."

"Oh, no Mackenzie. You didn't make a mistake. There was no way you could've known what would happen. You did not make a mistake. I know it."

I just keep sobbing into her fur for an unknown amount of time.

I finally stop when our friends start leaving their rooms. wondering where we are. Bluey just tells them to leave us be. I thank her for this as I start to calm down.

"Do you want to go get breakfast?"

"Sure."

We both get up and go to where they are serving breakfast and I sit down. Bluey gets a meal for her and I and we start eating when our friends all flood out of their rooms. Everyone starts asking what happened, and I don't respond. Bluey tells them that I need some time to be left alone, and they all oblige.

During breakfast, I see Judo drop her plate and Some random girl kiss Smoky.

*(Well, good for him.)*

Bluey

"I-I could've seen her one last time. I could've. But in-instead, I-I went w-with you to the c-creek. I made a m-mistake. I'm so sorry."

Mackenzie thinks that it's his fault that he couldn't say goodbye to his Mother.

I give him words of comfort, reassuring him that no, he did not make a mistake and that there was no way he could've known that would be the day she passed.

He keeps crying into my fur until about 5:30, when our friends come out of their rooms, worried about us.

"Mackenzie needs to be left alone for now."

Everyone goes back into their rooms, and I ask Mackenzie if he wants to go get breakfast.

"Sure."

We walk to the breakfast buffet, and Mackenzie sits down. I make him a plate with a small omelet, a biscuit with gravy, and some milk. I bring him his food and he starts eating. I make myself a plate and start eating as well.

Our friends all flood out of their room and come over to ask what happened. Mackenzie stays silent.

"Mackenzie needs some alone time."

Everyone says their oks and fines and leave to go get food.

Halfway through breakfast, I see Judo fulfill her dare, as she trips and falls with a plate full of food in her hand.

I then see Cinnamon fulfill HER dare, as she kisses Smoky out of nowhere.

*(Huh, I guess she likes Smoky. Well good for them.)*

Smoky

*(Oh. My. God. This girl just kissed me. I've never seen her before, so I don't know why she did it. Does she like me? Was she dared to do it? is she pranking me? I hope she isn't, because she's pretty cute.)*

I just blush as I keep eating my food. I'm gonna ask her later what's going on.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

We walk back to the airport, go through security, find our gate and wait for boarding to begin.

Bluey asks me if I want to talk about this morning, and I shake my head.

Boarding starts, and we wait for everyone else to board before getting up. Smoky asks me something.

S: "Hey, Bluey. Do you think you could tell me something?"

B: "Yeah, what's up?"

S: "That girl that kissed me earlier at breakfast, what's her name? And do you know why she kissed me? Does she like me?"

B: "Well, her name is Cinnamon. She kissed you because Indy dared her to kiss the person she has a crush on."

Smoky's face lights up and he smiles.

S: "Oh. Ok. Thanks for the info."

We board the plane and, again, we find an entire empty row. I take the window seat, Mackenzie sits in the middle, and Smoky sits in the aisle seat. Mackenzie has been completely silent this whole time.

"Kenzie, do you want to talk about it now?"

Mackenzie looks at me, before looking away and explaining.

"I had another nightmare, I was in the room my Mum died in, and in her hand was a note that said that I should've visited her instead of going to the creek with you. I ran out the hospital in an attempt to, find.... I don't even know where I was going. As I ran, a truck hit me, and I found myself back in the same room as before. This kept repeating for what felt like years."

"Oh, Mackenzie. I'm so sorry. Don't beat yourself up. You didn't make a mistake. There was no way you could've know she was going to... die."

"I know, but I actually could've seen her again. I decided to put off a visit with her when I made plans with you. I assumed she would be fine. B-but sh-she wasn't."

Bluey says nothing and hugs me. She starts rubbing my head and flowing her fingers through my hair. This makes me feel much better and I relax somewhat.

"Thank you, Bluey. I, needed this."

I nizzle up to her as the plane prepares to take off. Bluey seems unfazed by this as I hold her in my arms. The plane gains speed as it lurches forward and she tenses up, but she doesn't show any signs of fear other than this. I feel very proud of her for this, and I give her a kiss on her nose. She gives one back.

The plane levels out and the captain says we are free to stand up. Instantly, Smoky jumps up and runs to the bathroom. I chuckle at the sight.

Bluey

I feel very proud of myself for not freaking out during the takeoff. I was too busy comforting Mackenzie to care, but still. Mackenzie also seems proud of me, as he gives me a kiss on my snout. I reciprocate.

Smoky dashes for the bathroom as soon as the seatbelt sign turns off. Mackenzie laughs at this.

*(Yes! He laughed! This means he's feeling better!)*

I smile at Mackenzie, then ask to watch a movie. He puts on the sequel to the movie about the retired assassin. We watch the action-packed, single-take scenes.

After the movie ends, we try to watch the 3rd one, but it isn't on the in-flight entertainment list. We decide to watch some other movies as the flight attendant asks us what complementary meal we want.

I choose a fruit salad bowl with a Dr. Pepper.

Mackenzie chooses a chicken salad with ranch dressing and a water.

Smoky chooses...an apple. Just an apple. Nothing else.

M: "What? Just an apple? What's up with that? Not even a drink?"

S: "I'm not very hungry. I ate a lot during breakfast at the hotel."

B: "Yeah, but at least get a water Mate! We don't have our own!"

S: "I'll just press the call button and ask if I get thirsty. No biggie."

M: "Ooook. Whatever man."

The three of us eat our food and start watching movies. None of them are good though, so I pull out my laptop and start playing Minecraft on a singleplayer world. Mackenzie decides to watch me play. After about 4 hours, I have full enchanted diamond gear. I see my Laptop Is about to die, so I decide to save the world and put it away. We are both very tired at this point, so I give him one of my earbuds and we listen to Minecraft music. Ironic.

Mackenzie

I am absolutely stunned at Smoky's order, but I decide to let it go. I put on a movie to watch, but it isn't very good. Bluey decides to play some Minecraft, and I watch her. She decides to put it up after getting full enchanted diamond gear. I wish I could play as good as she can. We decide to get some sleep, and Bluey hands me one of her earbuds. She plays Minecraft music, and we both slowly drift off to sleep.

I wake up to Smoky shaking my arm. Bluey is awoken by this as well.

"Hey, guys, the captain said the plane is about to land!"

Bluey and I both pull our phones out and take pictures of the beautiful city below. We see the White House, the Washington monument, the Lincoln memorial, along with several other historic US landmarks.

20 minutes later, the wheels connect with land, and we are taxiing to the terminal. The plane docks, and we both wait for the mass of people to flood out of the door.

S: "Man, I can't wait to be back home! still kind of glad I don't live here anymore."

B/M: "Why?"

B: "Its your home country!"

M: "Why are you happy you don't live here anymore?"

S: "It's kind of hard to explain. When you've lived somewhere crappy for most of your life, then you go somewhere MUCH better than before, you don't really want to go back. Even if it IS your home country."

B/M: "yeah, I guess, but still."

We exit the plane, and make our way to the currency exchange desk, where we switch the Euros we received in Spain for American Dollars. We make our way back to the rest of the group, where we follow the guide to our hotel. We settle in, putting all of our stuff in our rooms, before grabbing our essentials and leaving the hotel for our first walk in the US.

Bluey

We first take a tour through the airport, which doesn't make sense at first, until you, realize that the airport is basically just a museum that accepts airplanes. There are aviation, space, and Us history artifacts and exhibits everywhere.

M: "Wow. There is LITERALLY more history in an airport in the US than history in the National Australian HISTORY museum."

S: "Yeah, Australia doesn't have much history. The largest event in Australian history was when ya'll declared war on Emus. And then LOST."

I burst out laughing at this comment. It's true.

In November, 1932, the Australian military sent a small group of men armed with machine guns to kill as many Emus as they could, since many farmers were complaining that Emus kept destroying their crops. But they found that the Emus wouldn't die for nobody, and they halted and abandoned the campaign after about a month of zero progress.

The guide takes us to a nearby plaza outside of the airport, where we are told we have 2 hours to purchase whatever we want.

Mackenzie and I decide to have burgers at a nearby fast food place. I order something called the 'Baconator' with a side of fruit salad.

Mackenzie orders a double patty burger with onion rings. We decide to share a sprite.

I take one look at my burger and realize my mistake.

"Wha- this thing is MASSIVE! How am I going to eat this?"

"I don't know. But what I DO know is I shouldn'tve gotten a double patty."

I see that Mackenzie's burger is the same size as mine, if not bigger.

I take a bite of my burger, and it actually tastes pretty good. But there is a snowman's chance in an industrial oven that I will be able to finish this.

I take a sip of our sprite and immidiately scrunch up my nose.

"Ugh! Why does this sprite taste like chemicals?"

Mackenzie takes a sip of the sprite. He has the same reaction as me.

"Ew! Yeah, it does."

"I already don't like America. I can see why Smokey doesn't want to live here anymore."

"Ditto. Lets just try to eat without vomiting."

We 'finish' our meal. In reality we just wrap up our barely even half eaten burgers and save them for later. We continue the tour.

We have to cram into a subway to get to downtown DC. As we are riding, I talk to Mackenzie.

"How are you feeling about this place so far?"

"To be honest? The amount of history here is astonishing, but the food is very weird. It's ok, I suppose."

"Yeah, I agree. Let's just try to make the most of it."

I lean my head on his shoulder as we wait to arrive at the true capital of the United States of America.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

We follow the tour guide as we make our way through the city, weaving through traffic, crowds of people and food trucks until we reached the Lincoln memorial. Bluey stopped and took dozens of pictures of each little thing including multiple of the giant Lincoln statue.

We reached the Vietnam memorial and Bluey took a picture of it. Several times.

We walked down the reflecting pool (That Bluey took several pictures of.) until we reached the National WWII memorial. Bluey took several pictures of that as well.

With the entire class needing to stop every time one person stopped, it took us about an hour and a half to look at all of this.

We reached the Washington monument, and Bluey took several pictures of that as well. I decided to stand directly at the base of the tower and look straight up. The sheer height of this monolith made me feel dizzy. I looked back down and joined the group again, but not before snapping a quick photo.

This was the first time I took a picture during this walk.

Right when we were about to leave the monument, it started to rain. Then thunder. Bluey quickly held me as we walked. She yelped with every strike she heard.

"Bluey, it's ok. You're fine."

She still seemed scared, so I decided to ask the chaperones if we could deviate from the group to go find shelter. They agreed, but Mr. Pyrenees said he would come with us.

We made our way to the Museum of American History, while the rest of the class made their way to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

I checked the weather app and saw that the storm should be gone by the time the class is on their way to the White House, so we could just join them then. But for now, Bluey and I decided to look at the different exhibits.

I wasn't very interested in this as much as I was with the Air and Space museum, which was next up after the White House.

When the rain stopped, Bluey and I left to meet up with the rest of the class. We made our way over to the White House, where Bluey took multiple pictures of it.

We then made our way to the Air and Space museum. I was most excited for this, as I have been fascinated with space for a long time. First was the Air part of the museum, which wasn't as cool but I still enjoyed it.

Then the Space part. I loved every second of it. We saw exhibits for the first satellite in space, first man in space, first American man in space, first man to orbit, and then the Apollo program. The first men on the moon. We made our way over to my favorite exhibit in the entire Museum.

The original command module from the Apollo 11 mission. This capsule travelled 385,000 Kilometers to the moon, and then another 385,000 Kilometers back to earth, where it landed in the ocean. You could still see the burn marks and charring on the bottom from re-entry. I took multiple pictures of this, giving Bluey a slight taste of her own medicine. I was beaming with joy as I gazed upon this astounding piece of space history. I probably could've stood there for hours if Bluey hadn't pulled me into the next room. I wasn't very impressed with the rest of the museum, as I felt that nothing could top what I had just seen.

We made our way to the Gift shop, where I bought a water bottle that had schematics indented onto it of the Saturn V craft, the rocket that put a man on the moon, along with each individual stage, described in great detail. The bottle also used thermal insulation technology used by NASA that could keep ice from melting in the hot sun for hours. I also purchased a small plastic model of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet. And lastly, I bought a package with a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich inside. This is what they do to food that astronauts eat when they go into space. They freeze the food to about -40 degrees Celsius, before putting it into a vacuum chamber, pulling out all the moisture and making the food able to sit without refrigerating for decades.

Bluey.

Mackenzie was going left to right, looking at and describing each tiny thing, and it's history in excruciating detail. He literally has memorized everything there is to know about space.

We made our way to a specific exhibit, where there was a bunch of space gobbledygook that I didn't understand at ALL.

Mackenzie suddenly becomes transfixed on a very large capsule in the middle of the room. He proceeded to take dozens of pictures, before just...staring at it. He seemed to be analyzing every detail of what I saw to be some dumb space junk. But, I didn't know nearly as much as he did, so I just let him have his moment. But when the teacher tells him that we need to move on, I grab his arm and pull him to the next few exhibits.

He didn't seem as interested at these other ones, and I was just left confused. I thought he loved space? Why's he suddenly so dull? I brush it off as we make our way to the gift shop.

Mackenzie runs up to what looks like a water bottle with a bunch more space stuff on it, before immediately buying it. Then, he starts describing every little thing on the bottle, again, in painfully specific detail.

He then buys a small model fighter jet. He then buys what looks to be an ice cream sandwich.

*(Out of all the things here, he buys an ice cream sandwich.)*

We then exit the museum, and find it to be almost sundown. we decide to stop at the Martin Luther King memorial before heading back to the hotel.

We travel through the city via the subway, before arriving at the hotel connected to the airport.

We enter the hotel, before everyone collapses in their respective rooms, exhausted.

Mackenzie and I are the only ones who seem to still be functional. I decide to ask Mackenzie to meet me outside, so we can go for a short walk. He agrees and we start walking. We both bring our half-burgers from earlier and eat as we walk. We both somehow manage to finish the gargantuan-sized half-burgers and then we start talking.

"This has been an amazing day. The Space museum especially was my favorite part."

"Yeah, I could tell."

"Oh. Sorry if I was a bit too much. I'm just really fascinated by anything space."

"Yeah. I can tell. You were describing everything you saw in mind-numbing detail. But then you went and bought an ice cream sandwich!"

"Oh, you don't get it. That sandwich has been freeze dried. Freeze-drying is the process used to make food that astronauts can eat. They freeze the food to around -40 degrees Celsius, before putting it into a vacuum chamber. This completely sucks out any moisture from the food, making it so that the food can go decades, unrefrigerated, and not spoil"

"Wow. That's actually pretty cool. Sorry."

"No, you're fine. I received the same reaction from my-"

Mackenzie's face suddenly drops as he goes quiet.

"What? What's wrong, Kenzie?"

"I-it's nothing. Forget about it."

"O-ok. Just tell me if something is wrong though, ok?"

"Ok. I will."

Mackenzie

"No, you're fine. I received the same reaction from my-"

I remember the time when my Mum was wondering why I wanted her to buy me a freeze-drying machine when I was 15. I wanted to freeze dry our food. I explained to her the process and purpose behind it, and she was truly fascinated, but she still didn't buy me the machine. I was very upset with her, but I let it go.

Now, the memories of my Mother flooded my head, and I almost started crying.

"What? What's wrong, Kenzie?"

"I-it's nothing. Forget about it."

"O-ok. Just tell me if something is wrong though, ok?"

"Ok. I will."

We keep walking as I try to steer us back to the hotel. I'm probably going to break down soon. Better to do it in the presence of friends instead of in public.

We make it back to the hotel and I sit down where our friends have gathered near the pool table in the lobby.

Bluey decides to play against lucky, and with her profound knowledge of forces, mass, angles and just mathematics in general, starts winning against lucky, making perfect shots back to back. I decide to scroll on my phone to try to distract myself from my thoughts. But the first video that pops up on my feed is about a kid around my age trying to teach his Mother how to play Insurgency: Sandstorm. I quickly get up and walk back to my room, where I know nobody is in, and start sobbing. I hear someone knock on the door, and it's Bluey. She noticed me run off.  She sees me crying, and quickly hugs me. I calm down quickly, and just stand there, holding her.

I allow my thoughts spill out of my mouth, as Bluey gives me words of reassurance. She pulls me to the couch and sits me down, before sitting down herself and hugging me tighter.

We just hold each for a while, enjoying each other's company.

Bluey

We walk back to the hotel, where we find everyone playing pool.

After the current game ends, I challenge Lucky to a game. He accepts confidently. I proceed to absolutely eviscerate him. He literally doesn't have a chance to play, since I just keep hitting my pool balls perfectly every single time. He doesn't even get one in by the time I win.

I bask in the glory of my victory, until I suddenly feel very sad. I turn around and see Mackenzie briskly walking away to his room before shutting the door. I excuse myself and walk over to Mackenzie's door. I hear him sobbing through the door. I knock, and he opens the door. I quickly embrace him, and he starts sobbing even more. He calms down somewhat and starts talking.

"When I stopped talking during our walk earlier, I had remembered when I was 15 and explained freeze-drying to my Mum. Just now, when we were in the lobby, I saw a video of a kid having fun with his Mum, and I couldn't take it anymore."

I didn't really know what to say, so I just said what I usually say.

"Oh, Kenzie. It's ok. I'm here for you."

I guide Mackenzie to the couch, sit him down, before sitting down myself and hugging him tighter. He hugs me back.

We just hold each for a while, enjoying each other's company.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

Everyone gets ready for bed, and I still sleep on the couch.

I wake up fairly early, since we all agreed to set an alarm for 5 AM.

Everyone remembers last night and we all get very excited. Our teachers told us that we have free reign for half the day, and we can go wherever we want and do whatever we want.

I immediately get up, gather my things, leave the room, walk up to Bluey's room, and before I can even knock, Bluey opens the door and hugs me. She is also ready for the day. we both go downstairs, eat the complementary breakfast, and exit the hotel.

We both have until 3 PM to do whatever we want before we need to head back to the airport and get on a direct flight back to Australia.

We decide to first go to a couple places we didn't get to go to yesterday, Like the Pentagon, The Korean war Memorial, The International spy museum, and a couple others.

We then decide to go to a funny restaurant named 'GORDON RAMSEY HELL'S KITCHEN'. No joke, The sign outside said exactly that, all caps. And it also says that on the map. Bluey and I both chuckle when we see the sign. We go in and order food.

I order what they call on the menu an 'Idiot sandwich'. Also no joke, that's on the menu.

Bluey orders a crispy skin salmon

We both have a water with our meals.

This meal makes a somewhat noticeable dent in my savings, but I don't really need the savings anymore, as the savings were for a car.

Our meals arrive, and we both dig in. My sandwich tastes pretty good, and Bluey says her Salmon is good as well. She asks for a bite of my sandwich, and I oblige. I ask her for a taste of her salmon, and she cuts a small piece and forks it into my mouth.

"Wow. I should've gotten the salmon. I don't even like fish that much, which is saying something."

"Yeah, that sandwich is pretty good too. Should've gotten that instead."

We both finish our meals, I leave a 15% tip, and we leave.

Next, we decide to just walk around the city, with no real destination.

"This is nice. Just you and I, roaming the capital of the 9th richest and 4th largest country on the planet. Taking in the sights. On a free school field trip."

"Yep. This is basically a free vacation. And there is nobody I'd rather spend it with than you, Blues."

I look over at Bluey and smile. She blushes.

"And you're the only person I'd want to be with, Kenzie."

We share a short kiss. Then I realize, I haven't checked what time it is.

I check the time and see its 2:17 PM.

"Oh, crap! We need to go! It's 2 PM and it'll take us about 30 minutes to get back to the hotel!"

We both start running to the subway. We get on a train and ride to the hotel. We make it to the hotel at 2:54 PM.

"We almost didn't make it."

"Yeah. But hey! We made it!"

"Yeah, you're right, Kenzie."

We enter the hotel and run to our rooms. I start packing my bag while Rusty chugs something called a 'Prime' electrolyte drink. After he chugs it, he describes the taste as sugar with a hint of bleach.

"Jesus. You sure it isn't actually bleach?"

"Nah, the ingredients are just a bunch of chemicals that may as well be bleach."

"Of course. We're in America."

I finish packing and run out the room, where our teachers are waiting. Bluey exits her room at this time, as does the rest of our friends and the class.

Bluey

I finish packing, exit my room, and join Mackenzie and the teachers as the rest of the class floods out of their rooms.

We make our way to the bus, waiting to take us to the subway. We get to the subway, enter a train, and ride to the airport.

We enter the airport, go through security, and head to the terminal, where we wait for our flight to arrive in an hour.

While we are waiting, I decide to continue my Minecraft world from the last flight. I manage to get full Netherite, and I also loot an entire Bastion, when our flight begins boarding. Mackenzie, Smoky and I, of course, wait until we're the last ones to board.

This flight will be about 17 hours. Much different from the two 9 hour flights to the US. I mentally prepare myself for this flight as we start walking through the hallway onto the airplane.

We manage to find two empty seats next to each other, a window seat and a middle seat.

I put my suitcase in the overhead, and put my backpack at my feet. Mackenzie does the same. We both get settled as we plan to sleep for most of this flight. We need it.

Before we leave the terminal, we hear yelling coming from behind us. We both look back and see a middle aged man, yelling racial slurs while wearing a cardboard crown. He is promptly escorted off the flight.

Mackenzie and I both look at each other, before we promptly burst out laughing. Many others on the plane do the same.

The plane rolls onto the runway, before going full throttle and lifting off. The plane levels, and the captain turns off the seatbelt sign. Mackenzie says he needs to use the toilet. He gets up and walks to the back of the plane. About a minute later, He comes back and sits down.

"Hey, Bluey. Guess what."

"What?"

"I just saw Smoky and Cinnamon sitting next to each other. Her head was laying on his shoulder. They were both sound asleep."

"Awww. That's adorable."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad he managed to find someone."

"Yeah, me too."

We both promptly black out 10 minutes later, and wake up about 9 hours later. Lack of sleep had really taken a toll on us.

"Ugh. I feel horrible. How about you, Blues?"

"Same. I need to use the Dunny."

I get up and walk to the back of the plane. As I do, I see Smoky and Cinnamon watching a movie together. I smile as I walk into the toilet and close the door.

I walk back out to the cabin and waltz over to my seat. Mackenzie has his laptop out and Is playing Minecraft. I decide to watch him this time, and I give him tips on what to do, guiding him.

After about 5 hours, he has full diamond armor and a diamond pickaxe/sword. His battery starts running low, so he puts up his laptop.

We decide to watch a movie, and find out that the 3rd and 4th movie of the  Retired Assassin are on here. We start watching the 3rd one. We finish the 3rd one and start watching the 4th one.

We are halfway through when the plane starts descending. The wheels connect with the runway and the plane slows down as it taxis to the terminal and docks.

I turn off airplane mode, only to find a very concerning text from my Mother.

Mum

Hey Bluey, I know you're on the plane right now, but I need to tell you that we need to speak with Mackenzie.

Something has happened to his father. And please don't tell him yet.

We will be waiting at the airport for your arrival

My mind starts racing as I wonder what could've happened, but I brush it off as we wait to exit the plane.

Everyone floods out of the plane, And Mackenzie and I are the last to exit. We walk over to the exit, and see my parents. I run up and hug them both.

C: "Hey, Bluey. I missed you!"

Ba: "Did you have fun, squirt?"

Bl: "Yeah, I did. it was amazing."

Mackenzie

I stand awkwardly and wait for Bluey and her parents to finish talking, and when they do, I expect a comment from her Dad. But nothing comes. Instead, Her Mum pipes up.

"Hey, Mackenzie. We need to talk to you."

"Ok, what's up?"

"Something has happened. Something terrible."

My mind starts racing as I wonder what she means. Is she going to pull an Uno reverse and say she missed me or something? What happened?

"What? What happened?"

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

I stood by the hospital bed while the doctor explained the situation

Doc: "He was found with a blood alcohol level of 0.5% This is much higher than the lethal level. We have managed to keep him alive, but he is currently in a coma. We don't know if he will wake up. I'm so sorry. You-"

At this point, I wasn't listening. My senses began to dull as I just stood there and began sobbing. I felt someone hug me and I just hugged them back. I didn't even know who it was, but I didn't care.

I kept crying for an unknown amount of time. My day had been great so far, then all that joy was just extinguished in a second.

My senses snap back into place as I realize Bluey and her parents are all hugging me. I fall to my knees and keep sobbing.

My Father laid on the bed. He had drank himself into a coma. The police believe it was intentional.

A suicide attempt.

I manage to somewhat regain my composure.

Bl: "What were you saying, Doctor?"

Doc: "You have a couple options. We could keep him on Life Support, but all the information we have points to him not waking up.

M: "O-or?"

Doc: "Rip the Band-Aid off. either way, we highly doubt he will make it. I'm sorry."

I squeak out the quietest phrase I have ever said in my life.

"Rip it off."

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

I come home from school, put my bookbag down in the foyer, say hi to my Dad, and go to my room to do homework. This takes several hours, of course.

I finish up and decide to text Bluey, asking if she wants to hang out. She accepts and we agree on me coming over at 6:00 PM. I decide to scroll on YouTube shorts, but this is filled with nothing but Minecraft channels, as I watch a lot of tutorials on here.

"What's the rarest-"

Scroll.

"This player was HACKING on my Minecraft server-"

Scroll.

"What's the rarest-"

Scroll.

"This is a very simple survival build that anyone can make-"

Scroll.

"What's the rarest-"

I turn off my phone and lay there. I decide to go get a snack from the pantry.

As soon as I open my door, the strong smell of alcohol hits me in the face. I walk over to the living room and find my Father passed out on the couch, unresponsive.

I shake him and he doesn't wake. I check his pule and realize he doesn't have one. I start freaking out and decide to call the ambulance. I then notice a note in his hand. I open it and read.

"If you had spent more time with me instead of hanging out with your stupid girlfriend all the time, maybe I wouldn't have done this."

I start crying and immediately run outside, hoping to find Bluey's house. I am running in the street, when I trip and fall hard on my face. Before I can get up, I see the ambulance. Right before it runs me over, I find myself in my room again.

I run out of my room, and find my father unresponsive on the couch. Again. I read the note he has in his hand, again. I run outside and trip, again. I am about to be run over, when I find myself in my room.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

I finally wake up for real life, and find myself in a cold sweat, shaking. I am immediately hugged by Bluey, who was sleeping next to me.

"It's ok, Kenzie. I'm here. You're safe. It was just a nightmare. You're ok."

I begin sobbing as I bury my face into my favorite Blue Heeler. All the memories come flooding in.

After we left the hospital, Bandit and Chilli decided to let me stay in their guest bedroom.

I couldn't go to gather my stuff at my house, since the police were still searching for evidence, and my house was now considered a crime scene.

They believe it was suicide.

So they drove me to their house, with only what I had from the trip. I almost immediately went to bed. Bluey, of course, decided to join me.

"Shhhh. You're ok, Mackenzie."

To the surprise of absolutely not a singular living, breathing organism on this big blue ball flying through space we call home, I didn't feel like it. I just laid there and cried for some time.

Bluey

I wake up at around 4 in the morning to Mackenzie, whimpering and crying in his sleep. I hug him tight. He's having another nightmare.

He suddenly shoots up, looks around for a couple seconds, and collapses on the bed. He starts bawling his eyes out and I just embrace him and give him comfort. He buries his face into my chest and continues sobbing.

He calms down after a while, and starts speaking his mind.

"In my dream, I got back home from school, said hi to my Dad, and went to go do homework. When I was done, I decided to set up a hangout with you. While waiting, I decided to got get something to eat, when I found my Father dead on the couch. He had a note in his hand, it said that I should've spent more time with him instead of you. I started crying and ran outside, when I tripped on the road. An ambulance then ran me over, before I found myself in my room again. I don't know how many times this looped."

He then started crying again, and I just hugged him again. He's had three of these nightmares now. How many more will there be?

"Oh, Mackenzie. You didn't make a mistake."

"B-but I did. After my M-mother died, I basically left him. I never comforted him, I didn't hang out with him, nothing. I did all of that with you. I-"

"You what? You can tell me."

"I think I shouldn't have been with you the whole time. I should've been there for him as well.       I-I'm sorry for saying that, but it's true."

He then starts sobbing, again.

"Mackenzie, there is no need to apologize. And-"

I realized what he said was true. He had spent the entire time grieving, with me.

He had spent barely any time with his Father.

"And I s-suggested he try to fin-find a n-new partner to hel-help him. But it seems th-that h-he didn't."

He keeps crying for a while, until he ends up crying himself to sleep. I snuggle up next to him and fall asleep myself.

Mackenzie

I wake up with my mind spinning. My hands clammy and my palms sweaty. My arms are heavy. My ears buzzing. My vision blurry. My nose stuffy. My emotions on a roller coaster ride. Bluey is no longer next to me.

I see a note on the bedside table. I slowly pick it up, praying this isn't another dream note, and read it.

"Hey Kenzie. I have to go to school, but my Parents got the school to give you a couple weeks off. See you at 3!"

I grab my phone and see that it is currently 11 in the morning. I get up and go to the bathroom to do my morning routine at almost noon.

I then go downstairs and see a plate with some breakfast on it. Eggs, bacon, some toast, and a glass of milk next to all of it. I don't feel very hungry, so I just go back upstairs and lay down.

*(I could've talked to my mother one last time if I hadn't gone to the creek. I could've prevented my Father's death if I had just spent more time with him)*

My mind starts swirling with guilt and regret. I could've though. I really could've.

I try to watch a movie on my phone, But everything keeps reminding me. All the corny life lessons in these kids movies keep reminding me.

I put my phone away and decide to go eat that food downstairs. I'm not hungry, but at least it's something to distract me.

I realize it's already almost 2 PM.

I for some reason dread Bluey coming back. Like I don't want to see her.

*(But why? She's the love of my life. The shining beacon in my currently very dark void. Why am I upset about seeing her?)*

I brush the feeling off as I finish eating. I am about to head upstairs when something catches my eye.

Bluey

It's the last period. 5 minutes until class is out. Then I can go home and see Mackenzie. Everyone at school has been asking where Mackenzie is, and I told my friends at lunch. Now I wait as the seconds count down.

5.....4.....3.....2.....1.....

The bell rings.

I jump out of my seat and rush out of the classroom so quickly that I pass everyone else trying to leave. I run to my car, get in, buckle up, turn the car on and drive off. I get home after about 20 minutes.

I walk inside, and my mom asks me a question.

"Hey Bluey. Have you seen the small steak knife anywhere? It's not in the block and I can't find it."

"I don't know. I'm going to go upstairs now."

I suddenly experience what feels like something poking my arm. I then realize why the knife is missing.

I run upstairs, burst into Mackenzie's room, and see him on his bed, holding the knife. His arm is bleeding.

He cut himself.

I quickly run up to him and snatch the knife out of his hand. I yell for my Mother and she runs in. She sees what happened, and quickly takes Mackenzie into the bathroom. I follow to make sure he's ok.

My Mum cleans his arm with warm water and soap. She then wraps his arm with a bandage. When she is done, her and I both hug Mackenzie.

He starts crying for the 4th time today.

M: "I-I-"

C: "You don't need to say anything, Mackenzie."

B: "I should've stayed with you. I'm sorry you were pushed to this point."

Mackenzie

I flinch as I press down and slide. My head immediately calms. My vision clears, My head stops buzzing.

I am about to make another incision, when Bluey bursts into my room. She takes away the knife and calls for Chilli.

Her Mum sees me and takes me to the bathroom. She cleans up my wound, and bandages it. When she is done, she hugs me. I feel Bluey hug me as well. I start sobbing for like the 5th time in the last day.

I try to say something, anything.

Chilli just reassures me. Bluey apologizes for not being there for me. I keep crying for almost an hour.

When I calm down, Bluey takes me to her room and has me lay down on her bed. She lays down next to me. I start crying again, and she spoons me. I calm down somewhat.

"I'm here for you, Mackenzie. I'll always be here for you."

These words warm my heart, and I calm down fully.

"Th-thank you, Bluey."

We just lay there for a while, until Chilli pokes her head in.

"Hey. Bluey. I called the school and got you a couple of weeks off. You'll go back with Mackenzie."

"Ok, Mum. Thank you."

Bluey's Mother leaves the room.

I turn around and hug Bluey. She hugs back. I slowly start to fall asleep.

I suddenly find myself in the hospital.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

I observe my surroundings. I am currently in a hospital room, laying on the bed. I suddenly feel something wet on my arm. I look down and see a gash on my arm, bleeding. I try to call someone. Maybe a nurse or a doctor, but nobody comes.

I try to get up, only to realize I am too weak to stand. I collapse, and my wound starts bleeding faster.

I hear the door open, before seeing my Mother, Father, Bluey and her family, and basically everyone I know flood into the room. They all start chanting one single phrase.

"You deserve this."

I start crying, as my vision fades and I fall unconscious.

I wake up in the hospital bed again. I try to call for someone, again. I try to get up and collapse, again. The door opens and everyone chants the same phrase, again. My vision fades and I wake up in the hospital bed. Again. This cycle continues for what feels like hours. During one loop, I decide to grab my phone instead of trying to get up.

I see a message from Bluey.

"Wake up. Please."

Bluey

I wake up to Mackenzie whimpering and crying in his sleep again. I try to comfort him, but he doesn't calm down. After about 20 minutes, I decide to wake him up. I try shaking him, but he doesn't wake. I shake him harder, and he remains asleep. I start speaking.

"Mackenzie, wake up."

This seems to make it worse, as he starts quietly growling and barking. I start tearing up.

"Wake up. Please." I say, almost crying at this point.

Mackenzie then jolts up. I hug him and start crying.

*(No! Stop crying! You need to comfort him!)*

Mackenzie hugs me back, but he doesn't cry.

"Bluey, are you ok?"

I look up at him. He looks concerned. He starts talking

"Did I do something? I'm sorry if I did."

I pull him back to laying on the bed. I hug him and calm down.

"You scared me. You were having a nightmare and I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't wake up."

"Oh, I'm sorry Bluey. Are you ok?"

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare, but I was worried I hurt you or something."

He was really more concerned about me crying than his dream. I didn't know what to say. I just hug him tighter as he started rubbing my hair. I fall back asleep shortly after.

I wake up to Mackenzie laying next to me, watching videos on his phone.

"Mackenzie, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You had another nightmare. You were growling in your sleep. You've never done that before. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing."

I can very clearly tell that he is not fine. But he doesn't seem to want to talk about it, so I don't press him. He hands me my phone and I check the time. 10:19.

My fur jumps up as I realize I am late for school, but then I remember I don't have to go to, school for 2 weeks. I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I lay back down. Mackenzie turns around and hugs me. I hug him back.

After about 30 minutes of cuddling, Mackenzie offers to get up and go do something.

"Sure, but not right now, I just want to be with you."

"Me too. I love you, Blues."

"I love you, Kenzie."

After about another 30 minutes, I agree to get up.

We head to the bathroom to do our morning routine. I realize that I haven't showered in days. And neither has Mackenzie. I offer Mackenzie to go first, and he accepts.

After Mackenzie finishes up, I go in and shower. I finish up and exit. Mackenzie and I both clean our teeth and brush our hair. I find it adorable watching Mackenzie flick his hair when he brushes it.

Mackenzie

We both finish up and head downstairs. We go into the kitchen and find Bandit, drinking coffee and eating some biscuits. He spots us.

Ba: "Oh, hey guys. How'd you sleep?"

Bl: "Ok, I guess."

M: "Yeah."

Ba: "Well, ok. What's your plans for the day?"

M: "I was thinking maybe hanging out with some friends."

Bl: "Really? You sure?"

Ba: "Wow. Looks like you're back at it, huh Mackenzie?"

M: "Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to be a blob sitting in my room all day."

Ba: "Well, good on ya. I can make breakfast if you want, Mackenzie."

M: "No, I'm ok. I'll eat later."

Ba: "Well, ok. Just tell me if you need anything, ok?"

M: "Yes, Mr. He- I mean, Bandit."

Bandit chuckles at my attempt at correcting myself. I quickly leave the room, embarrassed.

"Kenzie, you sure you want to go out somewhere?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Like I said, I don't want to be stuck sitting in my room all day."

"Well, ok. But if at any point, you feel like coming home, we will leave straight away."

"Ok. Thanks, Blues."

"Any time, Kenzie."

Bluey gives me a small kiss on my nose, and I give one back.

I pull out my phone to set up a hangout with Smoky after school. He asks if he can bring Cinnamon, and I agree.

Bluey has an Idea.

"Ooh! We should try to get the two of them together! If they aren't already."

"Yeah, that sounds cool. But could you and I go somewhere on a different day? I want a day for just the two of us."

"Yeah, that sounds good!"

Bluey and I decide to watch a movie until Smoky texts us saying he's ready. It's the 3rd movie about the newly un-retired assassin. We pick up where we left off on the flight. Right at the end of the movie, I suddenly remember about what happened after the flight and do my best to fight back tears.

"Your- your father was found, barely alive, in your home. He had drank so much he fell into a coma. That's all I know, but we need to go to the hospital."

Bluey suddenly hugs me. as if she knew how I was feeling and what I was thinking about. I manage to not break down for once, and just enjoy the moment.

As if on cue, Smoky texts me, saying he's ready to be picked up. Bluey and I head out to my truck, get in, and buckle up. I start the engine and drive off towards Smoky's house.

Little did I know, this hangout would end up being a huge mistake.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

We arrive at Smoky's house. Cinnamon is there with him. They both climb into the back.

S: "So, where ya'll wanna go?"

B: "We were thinking about going somewhere for ice cream."

C: "Oh! That sounds nice!"

M: "Yeah. We were also planning on walking around the city for a while. Have you even been to the city, Smoky?"

S: "My Dad and I passed through it a couple times, but I never walked there."

M: "Well, today we're going to."

We drive to an ice cream stand in the outskirts of the city.

I order a medium  cookies and cream.

Bluey orders her usual, medium with one scoop mango and one scoop strawberry.

Smoky orders a root beer float.

Cinnamon orders a small vanilla-chocolate swirl.

I pay for everyone's ice cream and we receive our desserts. We all then climb back into my truck. I drive to the inner city and find a spot to park.

We all get out and start walking through the city, enjoying the evening. Smoky and Cinnamon are both obviously in love with each other, as they can't seem to stop talking about their interests. Of which they share a lot.

Bluey and I start talking about what we're going to do after graduating.

"I don't know, I was maybe thinking about going into something with rocket science. I know a lot about it already. Maybe an engineer or something. What about you, Blues?"

"Well, I was thinking about doing something with music. I love music, and dancing especially. But I have always been just listening to music. I want to create music. Music that people will enjoy. So, maybe like a DJ or something. Maybe I'll become a famous artist."

"Wow, that's pretty cool. If you ever pursue that career path, just know that I will support you through every step."

"Aw, thanks Kenzie.".

We keep walking until sundown, when we decide to head back home. Bluey and I notice that Smoky and Cinnamon had lagged very far behind us.

We also notice them kissing.

"Look, Kenzie! We did it! And we didn't even do anything!"

"Hah. Yeah."

We both decide to pretend not to notice. We both turn around, facing away from them, and yell.

B/M: "Hey! Quit lagging behind you two!"

They both run up to us, embarrassed.

C: "S-sorry. We were talking a lot and slowed down some."

S: "Y-yeah. We got very deep into our conversation."

B/M: "Suuuuure."

They both blush at us.

B: "C'mon. Lets go home. It's getting late."

S: "O-ok. Yeah, lets go."

C: "Yeah, I'm kind of tired."

We walk back to my truck, get in, and buckle up.

M: "Jesus, Smoky. you left your god-forsaken ice cream concoction in the cup holder. My entire truck is going to smell like cough syrup in the morning."

S: "Sorry, man. I forgot it."

Smoky then picks up his cup and decides to take a sip.

M: "Wh- sweet Jesus! You Americans just don't have any standards for what you shove into your mouths, do you?!"

S: "Nope."

B: "Gross."

I start driving, when some idiot cuts me off at a light, causing me to slam on the brakes.

It feels like I'm in slow motion as I see Smoky's licorice juice proceed to launch itself out of it's cup.

About 20 minutes later, my dashboard is washed somewhat clean of the literal cough medicine that decided to thunder-cunt itself into the front of my truck.

I can still smell it in my truck to this day, 52 years later.

M: "Well, this hangout ended up being a huge mistake. My truck's going to smell like a Chemist for years now."

S: "Jeez. It's not THAT bad."

B: "Oh, yes it is."

Everyone piles back into the truck, and I try to ignore the fact that my car smells like a doctor's dresser drawer now.

I drop Smoky and Cinnamon off at Smoky's house, before driving to Bluey's home at around 10 PM.

I turn off the truck and we both get out.

"Tonight was nice. I hope we can do something like this again soon. It was fun."

"Well, I'm glad you think so, Blues. I agree. It was nice. That is, until the literal abomination of a liquid that is melted root beer float decided that my dashboard looked like a nice place to literally launch itself into like a cruise missile."

"Yeah. But hey, it was fun while it lasted."

"Yeah. It was."

Bluey's quip makes me think of my parents. All the fun times we had. All the amazing birthdays and pool parties. All the funny moments at the dinner table and all the great movies we watched together. It was fun, while it lasted.

I walk into the house, say hello to Bandit and Chilli, go upstairs, use the bathroom and clean my teeth, walk into the guest room and plop myself on the bed.

I keep thinking about my parents.

*(I could've this, I could've that, whatever. What's done is done. I should be happy it happened, not that it's over. I should live in the moment and think about the future.)*

I hear the door open, and Bluey steps in.

"Hey, could I come bunk with you? I'm feeling kind of lonely."

"Sure."

I scoot over and Bluey snuggles up next to me.

"Good night, Blues."

"Good night, Kenzie."

We share a short kiss, before I cover us both up.

We both slowly drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

Rusty, Jack, Smoky, and I decide to reserve one night for gaming. Lucky had to finish his homework, so he couldn't play.

Jack_The-DRIPPER3279 Joined.

Rusty/AtGamin1803 Joined

BottaSmokeulol2904 Joined

Mr.Mackerofcorpses0001 Joined

We all load up Warzone and start a game of Resurgence. We make it through to the end of the game, where the final circle is closing in on control center. We start fighting the last remaining team.

R: "Yo! He's pushing roof!"

J: "Yeah, I see him. I knocked him!"

S: "Yeah, but his teammates are here as well!"

M: "Oh crap. I see them. They're at the buy! I knocked one, but now they see me!"

J: "Hold on, lemme go up to the roof and try to shoot them from above."

R: "No dice, they ran inside."

S: "Don't worry, it's a 4v2. We can take them."

M: "Oh no. One of them quickscoped me. I'm in the downstairs lobby. I cracked one though."

J: "Uh, guys. The first one I downed isn't dead yet. I think he had a self."

S: "Great, so now it's a 3v3."

R: "Oh crap! I'm down! I have a self, though. Try to distract them, Jack!"

J: "I threw a smoke, you can self now."

R: "Thanks, Jack! Hold on, I got you Mack!"

M: "Thanks, Rusty."

I then see Rusty's frontal lobe exit his skull from the 7.92x57 bullet of a Kar-98k

R: "Run, Mack!"

M: "Already gone!"

J: "Oh no! One of them just did an execution on me!"

S: "Crap, I'm down. It's all up to you, Mack!"

M: "Wha- I cant take four dudes at once!"

J: "That's what she said. HAH!"

M: "You know what I mean! I'm not very good at this game! and all I've got is an M4 and a handgun!"

S: "C'mon, Mack! You can do it!"

M: "Ok, I'll try"

I run out of my hiding spot, before downing one of them. I quickly retreat back inside to plate up and reload. I jump back out, smoking another dude, before running to the other side of the concrete barrier by the entrance. I reload, before slide cancelling out of cover, knocking another one. I dont have any more ammo for my M4, so I retreat back inside, where I manage to find a sniper rifle. It has one bullet left.

Everyone: "C'mon, Mackenzie!"

*(Well, It's now or never. Either I hit this shot and win the game, or....ah, screw it.)*

M: "ALLAHU ACKBAR!"

I yell as I jump out in front of the last remaining enemy, before pulling the trigger. The bullet exits the gun, before connecting with the enemy's cranium. He goes down, But he has a self.

I run up behind him and perform an execution on him.

I first grab him by the neck, before lifting him into the air. I then slam the back of his head down on my knee.

*WARZONE VICTORY*

Everyone starts yelling and cheering.

S: "You did it!"

J: "That no-scope was insane!"

R: "Did you really yell 'allah auackbar' before shooting that guy?!"

M: "Yeah, I guess I did. Heh. I did it!"

Everyone keeps complimenting and congratulating me. I knew I needed to enjoy it now, as something like this would probably never happen again.

J: "Hey guys? It's almost midnight. I'm gonna get off."

R: "Yeah, me too. I'm pretty tired."

S: "Yeah, let's end the night on a win."

M: "Ok. Talk to you guys later! Bye!"

I exit the party, shut off my console, and walk over to my bed. Bluey is, of course, sleeping in it.

*(Jeez, she slept through all of that? Wow.)*

I lay down next to her, snuggle up to her, and drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Bluey

Two weeks have passed since what happened to Mackenzie's Father. He says he is ready to go back to school, but I am skeptical.

Mackenzie has offered to drive us to and from school.

We both climb into his truck and buckle up. He starts the truck and drives off towards the school.

We arrive at the school, unbuckle and hop out the truck.

"Are you sure that you're going to be ok, Kenzie?"

"Yeah. I'm sure, Blues. I'll be fine."

"Ok. But just remember, if you ever feel like going home, just tell me."

He nods, and we both head inside.

Mackenzie

All my friends greet me, ask me how I've been, and ask if I'm ok to be at school.

M: "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, guys."

The bell rings, and I head to class. Right as I'm about to sit down, I find a note on my desk.

*(Oh No. Don't tell me I'm dreaming again)*

I slowly pick up the note and read it.

"I'm coming for you, Sheep-Boy"

I start freaking out as I wonder who could've left this here.

*(Who left this here? And why? Is this a prank or something? Am I dreaming again?)*

I crumple up the paper and put it in my bag. I sit down as the teacher begins, well, teaching.

The day goes by pretty fast, until lunch. Our friend group decides to go outside to the bleachers by the rugby field to eat. I sit next to Bluey.

"Hey, Bluey. I found this note on my desk this morning."

I show her the note, and she starts freaking out.

"Wha-who-what is this?! Why would someone write this? Who would write this?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Well, is there anyone that you could've offended or something?"

"Let me think."

Coco seems to have backed off with her attempts at getting me in trouble, partially because I haven't been at school for a while. So who else could've written this?

*(Wait a second. I think I know who.)*

"Hey, remember that English Mastiff from a while ago?"

"You mean the one that you beat up? Yeah, I remember. Vividly."

"Maybe it's him. Maybe he's still holding a grudge."

"Perhaps. But we still need to be sure."

"Yeah, let me see if I can figure something out. For now, let's just eat and enjoy each other's company."

Bluey

Right as we're done eating, I hear a yell from behind us.

"Aye! Sheep boy!"

I whip my head around and see the same English Mastiff. My ears droop and I hug Mackenzie.

"Don't worry, Blues. I wont let him do anything to you."

Mackenzie gets up to confront the bully.

"What do you want?! Why'd you leave this note on my desk?!"

"Because, you humiliated me in front of the entire school! I'm going to get payback!"

The bully then runs toward Mackenzie. All of Mackenzie's friends run up to defend him. The bully sees this, and backs down.

"Oh, wow. You're so pathetic that you need all of your friends to help you."

"I don't know, man. I did kind of beat you up on my own. Seems like you decided to conveniently forget that."

The bully turns around and starts walking away.

"This isn't over! You will rue the day you messed with Bagel!"

'Bagel' then walks back inside the school.

M: "So, I guess we now have something to call him. Bagel."

B: "Yeah. We need to be careful, though. It seems like this isn't over."

M: "Really? You think so? I was under the impression that he and I were friends now!"

Mackenzie says this in an extremely sarcastic voice.

B: "Oh, shut up. You know what I meant."

M: "Yeah, I just felt like doing that."

We all go back into the school and finish up our last classes.

When I am getting my things out of my locker, I see Mackenzie running up to me, scared.

"Bluey! Someone put a picture in my locker!"

He hands me the photo and I look at it.

The picture is someone's hand, holding a switchblade.

"Jesus! Is this Bagel?"

"I think so. He seems to be a lot more angry than before."

"We need to show this to the principal."

"Yeah, let's go."

We show the principal the photo.

P: "Well, we don't have any definitive proof that this picture is the person you're talking about. But we will still have a police officer patrol the school. the person behind this could be expelled."

The final bell rings, signaling the end of the school day.

P: "Well, go home. We'll deal with this tomorrow."

Mackenzie

Bluey and I walk outside to my truck. I half-expect the tires to be slashed or something, but it is completely unscathed. Bluey and I hop in and buckle up. I start the engine and drive off.

We arrive home, and Bluey and I hop out.

I then hear movement coming from the bed of my truck. I turn around and see Bagel, with the switchblade in his hand.

He hid in the back of my truck and followed me home. This guy is a psycho.

He tackles me and tries to stab me. I struggle to hold the knife back.

He starts mumbling some Incoherent, sick words. Until he says one specific line.

"Now you're gonna join your parents." He mutters through his teeth.

My mind is suddenly filled with memories of my parents. All the fun times we had. Their fun time was cut short, and now this crazy person is trying to cut mine short.

This enrages me, and I manage to reverse the knife right into Bagel's shoulder. He yelps as he jumps up, stumbles and falls. I get up and kick his head into the curb, knocking him out cold.

I see Bluey calling the police, and Bluey's parents run out of the house, fearing for our safety.

I tell them what happened, and they wait with me for the police to arrive. I give the police my statement, and they rush Bagel to the hospital.

Cop: "Well, this case is very obviously self defense. Your attacker will be in the hospital, before going to jail."

M: "Ok. thank you."

Cop: "just doing my job."

The police leave, and I head inside with Bluey and her parents. I head upstairs and lay down on my bed.

"Well, I guess that solves that, huh Kenzie?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But, why would he go that far? I don't understand. All I did was defend you from him, and he tries to kill me?"

"He probably isn't all right in the head. Let's not dwell on it too much."

I suddenly start crying. What he said about my parents reminded me of everything. Everything keeps reminding me."

Bluey

"He probably isn't all right in the head. Let's not dwell on it too much."

After I say this, I visibly see Mackenzie's tone shift, and he starts crying.

I hug him as he keeps crying. I lay him down and lay down with him. I rub his head as he keeps crying. After a while, he calms down.

"Everything keeps reminding me. He said that I was 'going to join my parents' and that made me SO angry."

"Oh, Kenzie. I'm so sorry. I'm here for you."

I truly did not know what else to say.

He starts crying again, and he ends up crying himself to sleep, at 5 PM.

I just lay there with him until I fall asleep as well.

Mackenzie

I find myself in Bluey's driveway. I look around and see Bagel, with a knife in his hand.

Chapter Text

Mackenzie

Bagel is standing in front of me, holding a switchblade. He runs up to me and tackles me to the ground, before plunging the blade into my chest. He says one singular phrase.

"You deserve this."

Instead of this nightmare looping repeatedly, I wake up for real life. Bluey is next to me, asking if I'm ok.

"Y-yeah. I'm ok, Blues."

"You keep having these nightmares. I'm not sure if you are."

"Trust me, I'm fine."

I lay back down, as does Bluey.

I slowly drift off to sleep.

November, 2033, 5 years later

Mackenzie

Bluey's 21st birthday is tomorrow, and I've decided to surprise her. I'm going to propose later today. We've been together for 5 years now, but I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

I come home, go to my room, and hide the ring under all of my clothes in the dresser.

Bluey walks by. I am still living with her and her parents.

"Hey, Kenzie. What are you doing?"

"Hey, Blues. I'm just organizing some things in my room."

"Heh. About time. Your room is a mess."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, would you like to go on a walk at the beach with me later?"

"Ooh, ok! I love the beach!"

"Yeah, I know."

"What time?"

"7:00"

"Ok, see you then!"

"Love you!"

"Love you too!"

Bluey away and I finish hiding the ring.

*(The date is set up, now all I have to do is ask when we're walking.)*

Bluey

At around 7:00, I'm ready for our date on the beach.

"Hey, Kenzie. You ready?"

"Yep. Sure am, Blues."

"Well then, let's go!"

We hop in his now outdated truck and drive to the beach. We arrive at the boardwalk and hop out. We decide to get some ice cream while we walk.

I order my usual, mango and strawberry medium.

Mackenzie orders a medium 'chocolate thunder'.

We start walking, and the topic of our future pops up.

"Hey, Bluey, what do you want to do with your life? Like what career path?"

"Haven't we already talked about this?".

"Well, yes. But I want to see if anything has changed?"

"Well, I still want to pursue music. Maybe a DJ or something. How about you, Mackenzie?"

"Well, I kind of have been thinking about going into engineering. Not so much space anymore, more like cars and stuff."

"Oh, ok. Why not space anymore?"

"Well, Australia hasn't really been putting people in space anymore. they just use their space program to send supplies and stuff. I had hoped to go to space one day, but Australia doesn't do that anymore. So, I was just thinking of something simpler."

"Oh, ok. That's cool."

"Could I tell you something though, Bluey?"

"Yes, what's up?"

"No matter what I do with my life, I want to do it with you. Ive been with you for 5 years, and not one moment was I unhappy being with you. So, I want to ask you-"

Mackenzie gets on one knee and I immediately know where this is going.

"Bluey, will you make me the happiest Border-Collie on the planet and marry me?"

Chapter Text

December 25th, 2085

Oliver

I'm setting up the table for the Christmas party happening in an hour, when I hear my Dad talking to my daughter about when he met Mum.

M: "And that's how I met your grandmother, Stellar."

O: "Dad! She's not interested in your old-man stories!"

S: "Yes I am, Dad!"

M: "Who you calling old?"

O: "Dad, you're almost 70! That's considered ancient these days!"

I walk into the living room.

M: "Yeah, you're right, Oliver. I ain't got many years left in me."

S: "No! Don't say that, grandad!"

M: "Well, it's true. I won't be around for much longer. But that's ok, because you still have an entire life ahead of you! You're only 14!"

S: "Yeah, I guess. But I still don't want to think about it."

O: "Well, then don't. Just enjoy what's happening right now. I'm gonna go back to setting up for the party."

My wife, Charcoal, finishes up with her morning routine and walks into the kitchen.

C: "Hey, Stellar! You're up early!"

S: "Yeah, I wanted to get up early for Christmas!"

C: "Well, good on you. I'm going to go help your Dad finish setting up."

Smoky

I pull up into Charcoal's driveway with my wife, Cinnamon. I haven't seen my daughter in a while.

Ci: "Hey, don't be nervous. We're visiting family."

Sm: "I'm trying. But we haven't seen Charcoal in ages!"

Ci: "I know, but that means she'll be happy to see us!"

Sm: "Ok, I trust you."

We both slowly get out of the car. Being 70 is no fun. I walk up to the door, ring the doorbell, and Charcoal answers.

Ch: "Hey Mum! Hey Dad! So glad you could make it! Come on in."

St: "Grandpa Smoky! Grandma Cinnamon! Hey!"

Stellar runs up to us and hugs us.

Sm: "Hey there, little Stellar. How have ya been?"

St: "I've been great! We're gonna open presents soon!"

Ci: "Nice! C'mon, let's go!"

Sm: "Hey, Mack! How ya been?"

M: "I've been good. Just telling 'old man stories' to our granddaughter."

O: "C'mon Dad! You're old! Admit it!

Mackenzie

Smoky and Cinnamon have arrived and have caught up with everyone else. Now only one person left. She called and said she was stuck in traffic, so she would be late.

After about 30 minutes, We hear a knock on the door. I get up to open it.

"Hey, Kenzie!"

"Hey, Blues."